By Your Side
by watchxxthexsky
Summary: A series of short stories showcasing what we didn't get to see in season 4 between Lucas and Peyton.
1. After 410 Home From the Hospital

Disclaimer: All belongs to Mark Schwann, and Tollins/Robbins. Not me, at all, sadly. And the title… that belongs to Sade, it's named after one of her songs.

Summary: This will be a series of vignettes about what we didn't get to see in Season 4 between Lucas and Peyton. The first story takes place after 4.10. Peyton brings Lucas home from the hospital.

* * *

Peyton flitted around Lucas's bedroom, pretending to keep herself busy; straightening out invisible wrinkles on the edge of his bedspread, rearranging knick knacks here and there, and hanging up neglected items of clothing lying around his room. 

Peyton Sawyer was nervous, and was silently berating herself for it. Being nervous around Lucas Scott was ridiculous. He was the person she trusted and cared for the most, the guy she loved that was always saving her. Truly, her best friend at this point in her life. Though, he also recently crossed over to being her boyfriend, and on top of that, her boyfriend who had collapsed from a heart attack after winning the state championship and admitting he wanted to be with her.

She couldn't shake the thought that her kissing him played a role in his collapsing. In the back of her mind, she knew it was a bit of a silly thought; but that motto of hers – _people always leave_ – kept popping up in her head. Technically, he had come back, but it didn't change the fact that for a while, she wasn't sure if he'd wake up. Lucas had a heart condition, and she had to face it – something like this happening again was not totally out of the question, and that thought scared her more than she cared to think about. Lucas was someone she couldn't bare to have leave her. Peyton was trying to remain strong, but found she just had no energy at this point to pretend.

"Peyt, do you think you can spare a minute from this fake busy thing you've got going on?" Lucas questioned with amusement from the top of his bed, patting the spot next to him.

Peyton smiled softly and slowly walked towards the left side of the bed. She had secretly deemed that her side of the bed in the days that followed Derek's attack, when she had been staying with Lucas.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just anxious. Or nervous. I'm just so glad that you're home and you're okay."

Lucas chuckled softly and put his arm around Peyton, pulling her close to him and placing a soft kiss atop her golden curls. "I know believe me, so am I. It's nice to be back in my own bed, instead of that stiff hospital bed."

Peyton smiled sadly, but refused to make eye contact with him.

Lucas noticed Peyton's hesitance and tilted her chin up so he could meet her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong, Blondie? What happened to the Peyton that couldn't stop talking and running around my hospital room, ecstatic when I woke up?"

"It's just…," Peyton took a deep breath. It had been a long day, and in all reality, this was not a subject she wanted to breach at all right now. The conversation that would follow would be far too emotionally draining.

"You know, it's been a really long day. A long couple of days. I'm exhausted, as I'm sure you still are. And you need your rest, mister. Do you mind if we just go to sleep?"

He lay down, and gathered her in his arms, bringing her head down to rest against his chest. "Of course. Let's sleep." Not that he was really buying into her excuse of being tired, but Lucas knew when to not push Peyton. She always came around with him, and he knew it wouldn't take long for her to tell him what was bugging her. That and he truly was still tired. Having a heart attack really did take the energy out of you.

Peyton breathed in deeply, taking in all that was Lucas. It had been a long time since they had been in a position to really sleep together like this. She wanted to fully appreciate it.

Lucas couldn't help but marvel at the feeling of her in his arms again, after such a long time apart. It somehow still managed to make him a little breathless, even after how long they'd known each other. Just the feeling of her soft skin against his was absolutely euphoric to him. This was what he'd been missing for so long. He couldn't help but notice the feeling of "rightness" that always rushed through him whenever he and Peyton were together in this sense.

Peyton leaned up and brushed her lips softly against Lucas's, intending to pull back quickly, but Lucas took her face between his hands and deepened the kiss, exciting them both and bringing goose bumps to their flesh. His tongue teasingly traced her perfect lips, silently asking for permission to enter, which she immediately gave him. This was what she had been craving.

After the kiss broke, he smiled down at her, a little out of breath. "We've got a lot of time to make up for. And you never got to 'remind me how good of a kisser you were for a couple of hours.'"

"This is true, Scott. Look who's talking though, you're one hell of a kisser, yourself."

Lucas smiled and pulled her closer. To himself, Luke thought this would've been as good a time as any to tell her that he came back for her, and to express how much he loved her. But something inside of him stalled. Fear? Maybe… but she had already said the words first. He reasoned to himself that she deserved a more perfect moment than this one to hear those three sacred words.

"Well thank you, Sawyer." He let out a loud yawn. "You're right though, I'm so drained, I'm about to fall asleep on you here."

Peyton giggled a bit. "Lucas Scott choosing sleep over making out?"

He let out a loud laugh. "Oddly enough – and this has nothing to do with your kissing ability whatsoever – yes, I am. As you said, it's been a long week. Plus, neither of us are going anywhere, we've got plenty of time to catch up on what we've missed."

"You're right." She kissed his soft lips once more, then turned so her back was facing him and scooted herself back into his arms so that they were spooning. To her, there was no better position to sleep in.

Lucas immediately threw his arm over her waist and moved as close as possible to her, kissing the top of her head once more. He smiled slightly when she instantly intertwined her fingers with his on her stomach. "Night Peyt."

_Neither of us are going anywhere… we've got plenty of time. _His words rang through her head, wishing she could convince herself he was here to stay.

She closed her eyes and resigned herself to let it go for the moment and just fall asleep next to the man she loved. "Night Luke."

* * *

Let me know what you think! I have about 9-10 more of these planned, all taking place either during or after a season 4 episode. Though season 4 was all about Leyton – I still don't think we got enough, you can never get enough LP love. This was my first story on here, so let me know what you thought! Thanks! 


	2. During 411 You're It, Peyton

Wow. Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews. I truly do appreciate you all for taking the time to read and review. I hope this installment is just as good. It's taken some tweaking!

This one takes place during 4.11 – _Everything in It's Right Place_, after Luke tells Peyton he loves her and will wait for her.

* * *

Lucas and Peyton stood, staring into each other's eyes – one set, a deep blue pool of emotion, the other, a soft green set of eyes springing small tears of happiness – and holding onto each other carefully. 

Lucas moved his thumb up to wipe away the few stray tears that had escaped Peyton's eyes. "I'm hoping that these are tears of happiness?"

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to hear those exact words come from you. I don't think I've felt this happy in a very long time." Peyton whispered reassuringly, leaning up to capture his lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

Lucas smiled gently and pulled her flush against his body to hug her. "And I meant every word, Peyt. Every single word. I do love you. So much."

"I love you too, Luke."

Peyton smiled coyly and walked backwards toward her bed, dragging him – willingly – with her. She lay down atop her comforter and scooted over to make room for him. He joined her on the bed, and moved so that his left arm was around her body, and his right hand came down at their sides to intertwine with her hand. He turned his head down to look into her eyes, those green eyes that he loved so much, and could never seem to get enough of.

"God, Peyt, I could stare into your eyes forever. I think that is the most incredible shade of green I have ever seen." Luke murmured sweetly, pressing his lips against one eyelid and then the next.

"Geez Luke, the lines aren't necessary, you've already got me." She replied teasingly.

Lucas chuckled loudly. "I know I've got you Blondie, I just want to make sure I keep you this time around."

"Trust me, I've been waiting for this since I broke it off the first time, there's no where else I'd rather be. I'm not going anywhere."

Lucas got a nostalgic look in his eyes, thinking back to that night when she had broken both of their hearts. He quietly thought over the long journey they had both taken to finally get here, in each other's arms, where everything was perfect and right and okay. For the first time in his life, Lucas finally knew exactly what he wanted, and also for the first time, he felt a sense of fullness and completeness. Feelings that only Peyton, and Peyton alone, could or would ever invoke in him. A part of him was sad that it had taken them both so long to finally be together, the way he knew it was meant to be. But the other, bigger part of him knew that everything had worked out how it was supposed to be. If they had never been apart, never found themselves on their own, and never fell in love with other people, he knew they never would have gotten to this point where they could be utterly and completely blissed out. Also, now he could finally appreciate what being with your true love was. He knew that everything up until this point had prepared him to handle the intensity of the love he felt for Peyton. Now that he had Peyton, he was going to make sure he never lost her again.

"Lucas… Luke, where'd you go?" Peyton asked amusedly.

Lucas smiled down at her and shrugged. "You know… everything I say to you, I say it because I mean it. I love you, and I love everything about you, and I want to tell you every chance I get."

Peyton's eyes teared up again. " I love you, too. And I know, I was just teasing you about the line thing."

"I know you were, Peyt. But what you said about waiting so long to be with me… it just made me think back over all we've been through, separately and together that have led us to where we're finally meant to be. Together. I'm sorry I made you wait so long." Lucas said while looking into her eyes, his lips set in a straight line.

Peyton sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Oh Luke, that's not what I meant when that came out. I just… wanted you to know how happy I am. And besides… if we'd never strayed from each other, if I'd never been with Jake and you with Brooke, I don't think we'd be ready to handle us. Now, we can fully appreciate how special our relationship is. Despite what we put each other through, it's all okay. It's made us who we are, and I'm glad we're finally together. No matter how long it took."

It was like Peyton was looking into his soul, and stealing his exact thoughts. Then again, they'd always connected on a level incomparable to anything else in his life. Sometimes it shocked him, but mostly it just assured him of their love for one another. "You read my mind. I'm glad our journey led us to here, because you're it, Peyton."

Peyton didn't have to ask him what "it" meant, she already knew. "Luke, you remember when you and Keith got into that car accident and you were in the hospital? Well, I know I wasn't around a lot, but I did stop by once, when no one else was around. Do you know what I said to you? I said, "I'll wait forever if I have to." And I truly meant that. It hasn't taken us forever, but the length of time it did take, doesn't matter one bit. I guess we really are finally on the same wavelength."

"It's incredible how you always know what I'm thinking, Peyt."

Peyton just smiled up at him and burrowed her head deeper into his chest. Lucas wrapped his arms tighter around her, wishing they could stay like this always. Every moment he spent with this girl made him fall deeper and deeper. He could honestly say he'd never felt this strongly for anyone in his life, not even her the first time they fell in love.

Peyton, though extremely grateful for the emotional ground they had covered today, wanted to take away the heavy undertone the whole day had carried. Peyton took her right hand and slowly started to trail her hand up Lucas's torso.

Lucas noticed her shift in attitude and the mischievous glint in her eyes. "What are you up to Ms. Sawyer?"

Peyton giggled softly, and continued to move her hand around his chest. "Oh, nothing. You just sit back and relax."

She moved her hand up from his chest, to his neck, and from there up to his jaw line, subtly tracing the defined features. Finally she brought her other hand up to cup his face and drew his lips down to hers. The kiss was soft and sensual and sent chills throughout both of them.

If this was what Peyton meant by relaxing, then he'd relax anytime just to get her soft lips moving in unison with his.

Lucas buried one of his hands in her curly blonde hair, while moving his other hand to her back, drawing her as close as humanly possible to him. His tongue lightly traced the seam of her lips, asking for the entrance he knew she would grant him eagerly.

Peyton's hands were in his hair, sorting through the blonde tufts. While his tongue was eagerly exploring the caverns of her mouth, Peyton hooked her left leg over his hip, softly grinding against him, knocking their kiss up another level. Peyton quickly felt herself becoming overheated.

Lucas was rapidly becoming aroused, feeling her body length fully pressed against his, and the heat that was transpiring between them. He instinctively knew that she wasn't ready to take their relationship to the next level, but damn, she tasted so good, and her soft body pressed against his hard body, made for an incredible contrast. He was definitely not ready to pull away yet. The hand that was resting on her back, slowly trailed down until he was cupping her ass and pressing her even further into him, not yet ready to pull away from her incredible body.

Peyton sensed that maybe things were progressing a little too far tonight, but it seemed that there was a fog around her that she couldn't seem to pull of out of. The lust in her body was taking over. She pulled away from his lips, panting heavily, and tossed him a sultry smile. She moved her lips down his chin and to his neck, placing small, sucking kisses along her way. She moved down to his Adam's apple, leaving a long, wet kiss there, before moving up the hinge of his jaw, where he swore she was going to leave a mark with the pressure she was putting into her kissing and sucking. But, for the life of him, he could not bring himself to care; she had found his weak spot. When she lightly started nibbling, he knew he had lost all of his inhibitions, and also knew she was going to have to be the one to stop this, he had no intentions of ending where he was hoping this was going. Lucas loved when Peyton was in control, but his hormones were taking over. He flipped her onto her back, laying his body on top of hers, and took over, placing heated kisses from her mouth, down her chin, to her neck where he placed the same sucking kisses she had done only minutes ago to him, and over to her earlobe, where he began softly nibbling; he knew that drove her wild.

Though Peyton wanted to gain control back, and make sure they didn't do anything they weren't ready for, she couldn't help but let out a loud moan and arch into him when he reached her earlobe, and she was elated that he had remembered her "spot." When his kisses trailed down her chest and to her stomach, and his left hand had reached her breast, she knew she had to pull away.

Peyton forced him up to meet her face, noticing that he was panting just as heavily as she was. Luke knew that he had taken it one step too far, but with a girlfriend as beautiful as his, how was he expected to have a high level of control?

"Too soon?" Lucas questioned, leaning his forehead against hers, placing a tender kiss upon her nose.

"Oh yeah, too soon."

"I figured… I'm sorry." Lucas rolled back over on his side, and took her back into his arms, brushing a stray curl from her face.

"Don't be sorry, I'm sorry." She didn't know why she felt the need to apologize.

"Hey Peyt, don't apologize, I know we're not ready, we only just got back together. Never be sorry for something like that." He smiled sweetly down at her.

"Have I told you how much I love you recently?" Peyton questioned.

"You have, but you know what… hearing that from you will never get old, keep saying it. All the time." He said with a bit of a teasing lilt, and added, "And I love you too."

Peyton hopped up from the bed, intending to change into comfier sleep clothes. "Okay, it's already pretty late, so I'm going to change into my pajamas, I'll be right back." She grabbed a tank top and shorts and walked towards her bathroom.

Lucas put his hands behind his head and attempted to calm himself down. He still had heat coursing through his veins. Having her near him just brought his hormones out and he needed to be able to control himself. Her beauty astounded him. As he was waiting for her, he thought over what a long, crazy day this had been. He couldn't deny though, that he was happy he ended up here, in Peyton Sawyer's bed.

He heard the bathroom door creak open, and he leaned up on both elbows to look at his girlfriend. If she wanted to take things slow, she was certainly going to have to wear something that covered her up more. She was in a simple white tank top, and yellow sleep shorts, with her naturally curly hair hanging wildly around her head, but to him she had never looked sexier.

Peyton walked over to her side of the bed and jumped under the covers, snuggling up to her boyfriend. "You staying here tonight?"

Lucas chuckled and leaned down to murmur sweetly in her ear, "Do you think there's anywhere else in the world I'd rather be?"

Peyton smiled in satisfaction. "Good answer."

Lucas disentangled himself from her arms to stand up and undress. He took off his button up, t-shirt, jeans, and shoes, leaving him shirtless and with boxers on.

Peyton blushed, but admired his gorgeous body. Though Peyton completely and thoroughly loved Lucas for who he was, she couldn't deny how hot he was. That was just the frosting on top of the cake for her.

Lucas noticed she was blushing and smiled to himself. "You okay with this?"

"Okay? Luke… I am more than okay with this." She teased as he slid into her bed and pulled her towards him.

"Oh, I get it… you just want me for my body. That hurts Peyt that really hurts."

"Yep, I'm afraid you've found me out. It's all about your body. Is that okay with you?"

"I guess," He sighed playfully, "I just wanted to make sure we understood each other."

"Want me to kiss and make it all better?" She questioned him playfully.

"I think you might have to."

"Well, if I have to."

She kissed his full lips one last time for the night. He sighed into her mouth when she was starting to pull away.

Peyton, like every night they slept together, turned her back to face him, and scooted right back up into his body. Lucas instinctively wrapped his arm over her waist and pulled her as close as possible.

"Night Peyt."

Her breathing had already evened out, and he could tell she was half-asleep. He laughed quietly, and then pressed a tender kiss behind her ear.

"Night baby, I love you." Peyton murmured out during her stage of half-sleep.

Lucas knew she was on her way to a deep sleep; she hardly ever used pet names during the day. Just hearing her say those words though, made his heart swell.

"I love you too, baby." He whispered. He knew that sleep would evade him for a while longer, but he was just content to sit and watch the girl he loved sleep. In fact, he couldn't think of anything that would make him as content as that.

* * *

Again… thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and support! I hope this lives up to the expectations. Also, I counted and have 8 more of these planned out. But, if any of you feel there are scenes missing from season 4, let me know, and I will try and include them as one of the stories, if I don't already have it planned out. Thanks, and let me know what you think! 


	3. After 412 Cleaning Up The Mess

**A/N: Again… thank you so much for taking the time out to review. I'm glad you're all enjoying this fic so much. I know I'm enjoying writing it. I hope you love this installment just as much!**

**This one takes place after 412 – _Resolve_, and it picks up where we left off – the cookie dough fight! I'm breaking up all the fluff, with a little bit of drama. :)**

* * *

Lucas and Peyton sat in each other's arms, after an intense make-out session, laughing softly and still flinging around bits of cookie dough. It seemed like the newness of their relationship still hadn't worn off. They were still constantly giddy in each other's presence.

"Ugh, I think we're gonna need to start in on this mess," Peyton sighed, looking around at the disaster area known as her kitchen.

Lucas laughed and pretended to think about it. "You know… I think that you started this and I'm really tired, I'm just going to head home." Lucas started to get up only to be pulled back down by Peyton.

"Ha ha, very funny. And where do you think you're going? You started chasing after me! I was only trying to give you a taste of the latest batch!" She defended herself.

Lucas laughed lightly at the expression on her face. "How about this? We both clean this awful mess up."

"That's all I'm saying," Peyton exclaimed, holding her hands up in defense.

They both laughed and helped pull each other up. Peyton took one look around again and sighed once more. "I don't even know where to start with this mess. Hey, here's a thought – next time we decide to do something like this, let's remember how much of a mess we'll end up with cleaning."

Lucas laughed while going to grab some towels and cleaner. "Yes, but Peyton my dear, that's not being very spontaneous. And plus, this way's more fun. Tell me you didn't love it."

"You're right, I loved it." Peyton smiled over at him, while going about setting the table and chairs upright.

Lucas smirked over at her, and then frowned upon taking in the full extent of their mess. "Oh boy," He whispered to himself.

Peyton clapped her hands together. "Okay, we need to divide and conquer. I'm going to go grab the swiffer, you start in on the sink and counter area, and we should have this done in a reasonable amount of time," She spoke as she walked towards the closet to get the swiffer, her voice drifting off as she got further away.

Lucas laughed and spoke to himself, "Oh Lord that was a Haley moment if I've ever seen one."

"Hey! I heard that!" Peyton laughed as she reentered the room, armed with her swiffer, and a bucket filled with cleaning supplies.

He looked at all the cleaning supplies she had brought back with her. "Man, you weren't joking around with this cleaning stuff."

"No I wasn't. Now chop, chop! The sooner we do this… the sooner we can do other things." She winked over at him, while tossing him a sponge.

Lucas smirked in a sexy manner. "Hmm, I like that sound of that."

"Thought you would!" Peyton was giggling lightly as she started in on the kitchen floor.

Peyton and Lucas set in on their cleaning, lightly chatting about anything they could think of while making the kitchen look spic and span once again. In just over an hour, the kitchen was almost back to normal. Now, they had just to clean themselves up.

"Alright, now that that's taken care of, we need to clean ourselves up. You look like a mess." Peyton joked.

Lucas grabbed her from behind and pulled her to him. "That's not very nice, Peyt." He kissed the back of her neck, sucking lightly.

Peyton shivered and let out a weak laugh. "Here's an idea, you go take a shower, and I'll finish up with the dishes, and put the cleaning supplies away."

Lucas continued to kiss around her neck. "How about _we_ go take a shower?"

Peyton hit his arm lightly. "Nice try, get your ass in the shower. Oh, are you even staying here again?"

Lucas let go of his grasp, and she turned around in his arms. "Of course, Blondie. You've gotten me used to sleeping next to you, can't go changing things up on me."

Peyton nodded, while letting out a laughing smile. "Well, of course. Just, doesn't your mom mind all of these nights you've been spending here?"

"Truthfully, these days she's so exhausted with the pregnancy, she usually has Hales close up the diner, and as soon as she's home she's practically falling asleep once she's through the door. I don't think I've seen her up past 9 in a few weeks. She's not even aware if I'm home or not. And she made a comment about us being so attached at the hip; I don't want to freak her out again by showing up at my house alone." Lucas added the last part as a joke.

Peyton pecked him on the lips. "Of course, wouldn't want to do that." She shoved his chest lightly. "Now, scoot! When I'm done cleaning, I'm going to want that shower."

Lucas held his hands up and began retreating. "Yes ma'am."

Peyton turned back toward the dishes and began rinsing them and loading them into the dish washer.

-----

After putting away all of the cleaning supplies, and taking one last glance around the kitchen, Peyton began to climb tiredly up the stairs toward her room.

Upon entering her bedroom, Peyton saw Lucas sitting on her bed, still fully clothed with cookie dough all over him, looking like he was deep in thought.

"Hey, why haven't you showered yet? Still holding out hope of a joint shower?" She began to joke as she walked over to her closet, pulling out sleep clothes.

Lucas cleared his throat, and wondered if he should even be bringing up what he was about to bring up. He knew a fight was brewing, and he hadn't even opened his mouth. However, he knew the subject would bite away at him until he drove himself crazy. He tried to approach the subject as sensitively as possible. "You still talk to Jake a lot?"

Peyton furrowed her brow and turned to look at him. "Um, no… not a lot, why do you ask?"

Lucas felt his nerves getting the best of him and prepared himself for a verbal lashing. "Okay, don't be mad. When I came up here, your screen saver was on your computer and all, but as I was walking to the bathroom, I saw a screen pop up, and my curiosity got the best of me. I saw that it was an IM from Jake. And that led me to thinking about how often you two talk." He didn't mean it – but his voice came out a little bitter, and Peyton definitely took notice.

Peyton lifted her eyebrows and gave him a look that clearly stated she wasn't happy with him. "Okay, one: thanks for invading my privacy." She bit out sarcastically, "Two: No, Jake and I don't talk a lot. Just every once in a while to see what the other is up to, and how we're doing. We are friends, remember?"

Lucas huffed like a little boy and said sardonically, "Yeah."

"Okay, what's with the attitude?" All Peyton wanted to do was get in the shower, and finish out this perfectly amazing day with her perfectly amazing boyfriend. Although, her opinion on him was quickly declining. What was his issue?

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck and started pacing. "It's just… a little funny that you keep in contact with him, is all. I mean… friends? You two were serious, and intensely in love."

Peyton blatantly rolled her eyes at him. "Are you seriously playing the jealous boyfriend right now? Haven't we discussed something like this before? Luke, I don't know what you are trying to get at with this, but yes, Jake and I are friends. And yes, we were in love with each other. As in… past tense! I'm with you now, in case you haven't gotten the memo. And I love _you_! I mean, right now I'm not such a big fan."

Lucas ignored her sarcasm and kept on pacing. "I am not jealous, Peyton. I just find it really odd that you can stay friends with someone you were so serious about."

Peyton let out a bitter laugh. "That must be a joke, Lucas Eugene. I hate to bring this up, because I see a huge fight coming… but do you remember anyone by the name of Brooke Davis?"

Lucas wanted to just end the fight there, he knew she had a point, but dammit – now that this fight had started, he wasn't letting it go. "Okay Peyton that's… different." He offered up lamely.

"Oh yeah, how exactly? Wait, is it that she is – was, my best friend? Is it that she's still here in the same state, same city? What exactly is different Luke? Cause from where I'm sitting, I have more of a reason to be jealous than you do. But since we've been together, I haven't once called you out on that, or gotten jealous of her. And you two are really great friends!" Peyton was fuming by now, and she wasn't backing down.

Lucas recognized the fire in her eyes, and instantly his blood started boiling with anger. Shit, he had dug himself in deep, but now that it had started, this argument was in full gear. "No, Brooke and I were just different. You were so into Jake, and you loved him so much. I mean, hell, you two practically lived together! You had a mini-family, what with Jenny and all."

"Lucas, I can't believe you're doing this right now. Or ever. Yes, okay, what we had was great, but it's long over. You're who I want! And hold up here, mister. You spent an _entire_ summer pining over Brooke. You did everything in your power to win her back, and once you had her, you constantly reminded me of how in love you two were. And then… when she broke up with you, you were devastated! So, seriously Luke, seriously… do not for one second go spouting off about me and Jake, when I've had to sit here and watch you and Brooke." She didn't mean to come out with that last part or sound malicious, but she was pissed as hell, and all of her anger was directed at Luke.

Lucas's facial expression softened a bit when she mentioned having to watch the two of them, and he thought about how hard that must've been for her. _I guess we do have some unresolved issues_, he thought to himself. Since they were already arguing, now was as a good a time as any to get them out. "Okay, yes, that's… true, I guess. But you spent that same summer pining over Jake and for a few months after that as well! And I guess… I always just thought what you and he had was stronger than what she and I shared. I mean, of course I was really in love with Brooke-"

"Oh goodie, another love confession, just like the one in the library the day after I told you I loved you!" She didn't know why in the world she chose to bring that up. Damn word vomit.

"Oh please, Peyton. I'm just trying to explain." _Thankfully he chose to ignore my last sentence_, Peyton thought. "Yes, we were in love. But what you and Jake had was so much more. You had a real life and a family going. While what Brooke and I had was real – it was high school love. You two… you two just seemed like the real deal. I was afraid it was going to last." He sounded really sad when the last sentence came out. "And honestly Peyt, you're bringing up the day of the shooting? You said that you told me you loved me because you had lost a lot of blood. It was a platonic thing."

_Shit, I guess he didn't ignore what I said._ "Okay, I'm sorry – bad example. But obviously it wasn't too platonic! A few months later, here we are, and we know I'm in love with you. I mean, even Jake could see that…." Peyton trailed off, afraid Lucas was about to pry.

And pry he did. "What do you mean Jake could see that? When did Jake tell you this?"

"Lucas that really doesn't matter. Maybe you should just go home, I'm tired and I really want that shower." Peyton turned to go to the bathroom, but Lucas gently grabbed her wrist.

"Oh no, no, no! This is a fight still in progress! When did Jake tell you this?" Lucas made sure to gently rub her wrist, to let her know he just wanted her to talk to them.

Inside, Peyton wanted to smile that he was still being gentle and reassuring with her, even in the middle of a fight. On the outside, she wasn't cracking. "Luke… you're not going to like this… I am warning you." Her voice almost took on an almost pleading tone.

Lucas quirked his brows, wondering what could possibly be so bad. "I'm not sure things can get any worse right now… just tell me, Peyton."

Oh boy. "Okay, Luke. After that weekend we all went to the cabin, Pete and I were kind of, sort of dating-"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucas questioned.

"Seriously, you wanna let me tell the story?" She asked. He nodded quietly. "Okay, it's a long one." She took another deep breath. "Well, he left me a plane ticket to come see him in Chicago. But, I had a conversation with my dad, and he gave me a speech about being with someone that I love, and that truly loves me back. The next thing I know, I'm hopping on a plane to Savannah. When I got there, I was just so happy to be with Jake and Jenny. I really thought they were what I needed." She paused for a moment to look at Lucas. He looked like someone had shot his puppy.

"So, when I got there, a few things transpired between us, and it led to me… asking him to marry me. At first he thought I was crazy – rightfully so – but then he accepted. That night we went to bed, me thinking I was going to become a wife and mother soon. But, in the middle of the night, I woke up to see him standing in the doorway with a disappointed look in his eyes. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me…" She took a deep breath, and continued. "He told me that I said "I love you Lucas" in my sleep. And he knew, Luke… he knew that you were who I was really in love with. We argued a lot after that, I was trying to convince myself and him that I wanted us three to be a family. But he saw right through it. Next thing I knew, I'm coming back home, absolutely hurting because I realized that once again, I had fallen in love with my best friend's boyfriend. Not only that, but also… that I had never stopped. And well, you know the rest. So there, Luke, there's the story. And since then, Jake and I don't really talk. I think it's too hard for him."

Lucas was looking down at his hands, staring quietly. Though he heard the part about her being in love with him, the one thing he took away was that she had been ready to spend the rest of her life with a man that wasn't him. He sat quietly for a long time, just processing the story.

"Luke, please say something. I think I liked the yelling better." Her attempt at a joke was lame, she knew, but she just wanted a reaction.

"I just… can't believe you were going to marry someone that wasn't me. You wanted to spend the rest of your life with someone else." His words were low, but they were packed with emotion.

Peyton let out a loud, frustrated sigh and fell back against her bed, before rolling over to stand up again. "Lucas! Is that all you got out of that? The point was that both Jake and I knew you were the one for me! And even if it hadn't come out that night, it would've eventually! Even as I was asking him to marry me, I knew there was something off." She walked over to grab Lucas's hands. "Lucas, I never stopped loving you. When Ellie came to live with me, she made me see that life was too short… and she also made me see that you were the one in my heart. I just wanted to bury it because I didn't want to bring back the triangle from hell."

Lucas took his hands from hers. "I know, I got the point of the story Peyton. And I love it, I do. I'm just having a hard time processing. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, it was right before the Naley wedding: part two. You were busy with Brooke, I didn't want to talk about it. It was pretty dramatic; I just needed to deal by myself. And then after all that, and you and Brooke were done - I guess I just forgot about it. I was helping you try and win Brooke back, and I didn't want to lose you as a friend." Even speaking about this when she had him, made her choke up.

Peyton ran a hand through her hair and looked up at him. "I'm taking a shower a now. You can… do whatever you want, I don't care." With that, she walked into the bathroom and quietly shut the door.

Even though the door was shut, Lucas could hear Peyton quietly murmur, "So much for just being happy." He looked around the room, and was mentally kicking himself in the ass. If only he hadn't brought it up to begin with.

-----

When Peyton finally emerged from the bathroom in her green silky pajamas and wet hair, she found a freshly showered Lucas lying on her bed in a white t-shirt and long pajama pants. A part of her was hoping he had gone home, so that they wouldn't have to face what had happened, but the bigger part of her was glad he had stayed. She walked around to her side of the bed, and sat down cross legged, looking down at him.

When he felt her side of the bed dip, he looked over at her, and just seeing how naturally beautiful she was took his breath away. It amazed him how often that happened in her vicinity.

"So, I guess there are a few issues we need to resolve, huh?" Peyton questioned softly.

"Yes, I guess there are." Lucas pulled himself up to a sitting position as well. "But I think I should start."

"Peyton, first of all I want to apologize for invading your privacy. It was wrong of me, and I _am_ sorry. Mostly because it started this horrendous fight." Despite the heavy mood, they both laughed. "Second, I'm sorry for the things I said about Jake. You were right, you two are just friends, and I'm sorry I got so worked up. It's just… I finally have you, and I wanted to make sure nothing would get in our way. I was being a stupid asshole. About the Savannah story… I get it. I know the point was to make me see that you love me. Who cares if you asked him to marry you? We're here now, and that's what matters. I love you so much, Peyt."

She smiled softly and nervously started wringing her hands together. She began to speak, but he cut her off by gently placing two fingers against her lips.

"I have more I need to say. Do you know why I love you so damn much, Peyton Elizabeth? Because, even though you were in love with me, you put me before yourself. You tried to help me get back together with Brooke, and I can't believe how selfless that was of you. It's one of many things I love about you." Peyton swore she saw tears glistening in his eyes. "When you said you were trying to hide with Jake, it made me think. I guess hiding is a theme with us. At the end of junior year, I just felt like our time was over… for then. I figured I'd lost you to Jake, I thought he was what you needed, and that's why I called him. So, I turned to Brooke, and buried my feelings for you deep down. I'm not saying I used Brooke, because eventually I fell in love with her. But Peyt, that was nothing compared to what we have. I've loved you all along, too. I just wasn't ready for all that entailed, but we've talked about that before. I'm sorry that all of my fears about Jake and my stupidity led to this awful fight."

Peyton grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It's okay, Luke. I forgive you… and in all actuality, I'm glad we got this all out in the open. We need to be honest with each other. I think this fight was something that was buried deep down within us."

Lucas sighed in relief, and brought her in for an emotional kiss that had both of them tearing up at how intensely they felt for one another.

"I think that now, after this, we can finally just be happy." Lucas shadowed his words from earlier on in the day.

"I think you're right." She paused and looked at him again. "Hey, how are you freshly showered too?"

Lucas tapped her on the nose. "I used your father's shower, goof."

"Oh yeah, duh. That's why my water pressure was low!" She pointed an accusing finger at him.

He laughed and pulled her down under the covers. "I'm sorry, babe. Can we finally get some sleep now? This has seriously been the longest day ever."

Peyton let out a yawn and stretched like a cat. "Yes, of course. Sleep sounds wonderful."

They kissed once more before turning into their usual spoon position.

"At least it's out of the way now," Luke commented.

"Wait, what do you mean? Which part?" Peyton was a little confused.

"Well, we've been together a few weeks now, and our first big fight was bound to happen. At least it's over with." Lucas and Peyton both laughed at that, and snuggled down into the bed.

As she was drifting, Peyton thought of something that immediately pulled her out of sleep. "Hey Luke?"

Lucas was drifting to sleep as well, but her voice woke him a little. "Yeah, Peyt?"

"Earlier, when we were fighting you said, "I can't believe you were going to marry someone that wasn't me." What was that about?"

Lucas could hear the smirk in her voice, and he started blushing profusely. He was glad she couldn't see his face. Had he really let that slip? "Oh God, Peyton. I didn't mean it like that, what I meant was – I just meant that – What I wanted to say…"

It was rare that Lucas fumbled with his words, so Peyton was taking full advantage of this bumbling Lucas. "Lucas Scott, do you wanna marry me?"

Lucas continued to fumble with his words. "Peyton no! I mean, yes! I mean no… yes!" He took a deep breath. "What I mean is… someday. I've always pictured us ending up together. Even when we weren't together, I knew it was going to be us in the end."

Peyton felt like she was going to melt into her sheets. There was the Lucas Scott she knew, always saying something to make her swoon. "Good, because we're not going all Naley, Scott."

Lucas laughed and burrowed his face into her neck, glad that she was dropping the subject.

A few moments went by, and Peyton couldn't resist. "You want to marry me!" She whispered loudly in a teasing voice.

Lucas rolled his eyes and groaned. "Peyton, babe, shut up."

Peyton giggled and then whispered back to him, "I want to marry you too… someday."

It was Lucas's turn to almost melt into the sheets. "Goodnight, Peyt."

* * *

**I didn't realize I had made a theme with all 3 of my stories – they're always going to bed at the end! I'm not sure how that transpired… maybe I'll just make it a continual theme, lol. Probably not! So, again thanks for the reviews! Let me know what you think of this one! I just figured… we never got to see what Lucas thought of Peyton's trip to Savannah, it would've been interesting.**

**After this, I'm not sure how much time I'll have for updating, because school started today. But you can be sure the weekends will come with lots of updates! Oh, and who else is completely psyched about tomorrow night and the premiere of OTH??**


	4. Between 413 and 414 Back on Track

**A/N: This one takes place somewhere between 413 and 414. Just a fluffy little piece.**

* * *

Peyton closed her front door behind her, leaving her house and starting the short walk toward Luke's. Three nights ago they two had had a blowout fight over Jake and Brooke and their insecurities regarding the two exes. And even though that night they had made up, joked around a bit, and even talked about marriage in a loose sense, things had been a little awkward ever since. Maybe not so awkward, just more like they hadn't been hanging out as much. He hadn't even stayed over since that night. Even though she knew he was busy taking care of his mom, and picking up extra shifts at the café, she just wanted to get back on track with him. It was only 10:15 on a Saturday morning, and she knew for a fact that on Saturdays, Haley worked nearly all day to pick up extra money for the little Naley family that was forming, which meant that Lucas had the day off. She also knew that Karen was working this morning because she had stopped by the café to pick up some breakfast for her and Luke. And now… she was going to surprise him in bed.

Peyton looked up, pleasantly surprised to see that she had reached Lucas's house. With the key he had given her after her attack, she quietly unlocked his door and snuck in, trying her hardest not to make any sound. She gently set down her purse, and the brown paper bag which contained two to-go cups of coffee, and two blueberry muffins fresh from Karen's Café. After that she removed her jacket and jeans, leaving her in a yellow t-shirt and panties. Oh boy was he in for a nice surprise. Peyton looked over at his bed and saw how peaceful he looked in his sleep. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed that he was all the way over on the right side, subconsciously leaving her side of the bed open.

She pulled back the covers and slipped in, sliding right up next to him and running a hand through his hair. She wanted to make his waking up this morning the best waking up he'd ever experienced. With one quick glance over to his door, assuring herself it was locked, she quietly climbed over Lucas to settle herself down, straddling him. Peyton leaned down and whispered his name into his ear, tracing her tongue lightly around the outer shell of his ear. He stirred only a little bit. She moved toward his face and starting planting short, chaste kisses over his forehead, both temples, eyelids, cheeks, down to his chin, and finally she reached his lips. Not even that woke him up! She decided it was time to pull out the big guns. She pressed her lower half into his lower half, creating a delicious pressure, while running her hands up and down his covered chest. At the same time, she moved her mouth over to his jaw and applied a steady sucking pressure.

Lucas had woken up the minute she had straddled him, but he was curious and excited to see where she was going to take this. When she had been pressing kisses over his face, it had taken all of his self control to not respond, especially when she reached his lips. But when he felt the heat of her center pressed against him, and her lips at his favorite spot, he couldn't hold back any longer. In one movement, he flipped her over onto her back, and pressed her down into the mattress, practically devouring her mouth. For the first time he realized she was just in her panties, and if he hadn't already been hard before that, he surely would've been now. When he felt those long limbs he loved wrap around his back, he began rubbing the silky, smooth flesh of her thigh. Peyton broke her mouth away from his, gasping for air to fill her deprived lungs.

Lucas grinned down at her and kissed her throat lightly. "Now that… is a perfect way to wake up. You think you can do that every morning?"

"I knew you'd say something like that. Baby, if we did this every morning, we'd never get anything done," She murmured against his skin as she trailed kisses from his jaw, across his neck, and down to his chest. Then, she abruptly pulled back. "Actually, I came over here to bring you some food and have breakfast in bed."

She started to pull away and reach for the brown paper bag, but Lucas pulled her back under him and started tickling her, causing Peyton to let out a loud squeal and start giggling.

"You can't just come in here, get me all worked up, and then pull away. I'm sorry, Blondie, doesn't work like that." He began kneading the skin of her thigh, and placing kisses under her ear. Peyton moaned and nearly forgot what she was going to say.

She regained a little control. "Oh yeah, and how does it work?"

"I was hoping you'd ask. You have to finish the job you started, Miss Sawyer."

Peyton grinned seductively, and pushed him up off of her for a little bit so she could push his shirt off of him. "No problem."

Lucas and Peyton resumed kissing; a hot open mouthed kiss, which had their tongues softly exploring the other's mouth, and giving both of them goosebumps. Lucas's hands found their way to the hem of Peyton's shirt, hesitating there, silently asking permission to remove the offending garment. Peyton broke the kiss and whispered a small "yes" into his ear, giving him his answer. Lucas removed the yellow piece of clothing and threw it haphazardly into the corner of his room. He stared down at her creamy white skin, taking in every dip and beauty mark, committing it all to memory. Lucas couldn't remember a time when he had seen anything more beautiful. He moved his hand to her stomach and caressed the soft flesh their. He placed his lips to her collarbone and slowly started dragging his lips down, and when he reached her stomach, Peyton couldn't help but shudder and recall a time in a hotel room when he had done the same thing, and thought how all of that seemed like light years ago.

Peyton took his hand that wasn't on her stomach and moved it up to her breast, silently encouraging him. At the same time she arched her body, pressing her hot center into his length, making him throw his head back in ecstasy.

He looked down into her eyes and saw a light in those beautiful green orbs. "Are we really going to do this?"

Peyton reached over into his bedside drawer and fished out a tiny foil package. "I think we are." She threw him a breathtaking smile.

Lucas had never felt so ecstatic in his life, he swore he was about to faint. He took the package out of her hand and set it down next to them on the bed, not ready for the main event yet. Lucas sat up bringing Peyton with him, and resumed kissing, while running a hand down toward her panties.

Peyton was about to lose herself in the pleasure he was intending on giving her when she heard a distinctly familiar voice shout out, "Oh my god! I am so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Lucas and Peyton hurriedly jumped back under the covers, both blushing furiously, and more than angry at their intruder.

Nathan Scott stood at the door, shielding his eyes from seeing any body parts that he never wanted to see. He'd already seen far too much.

"Hey Nate, how about closing the damn door?" Lucas almost yelled at his half-brother.

"Right, again, I am _so_ sorry. I'll just uh… be out… in the living room… or something." Nathan hurriedly closed the door and practically ran to the furthest point in the Roe household from Lucas's room.

"Oh my god. Oh my God. Oh my _God_." Peyton moaned out in agony, burying herself deep under the covers. She had checked to make sure the door leading to the porch was locked, but she had forgotten the bedroom door that led to the rest of the house.

Lucas struggled not to laugh at the awkward situation, and gently pulled the covers off of her head. "C'mon, Peyt… it's not that bad."

Peyton scowled and smacked him lightly on the chest. "Not that bad? Are you kidding me? My ex-boyfriend, who – oh wait! – happens to be your brother walked in on us about to have sex! Not that bad? It was awful."

"Well, look at it this way, I mean… Nathan's already seen you naked…"

Peyton hit Lucas's chest again at his attempt at humor.

"Ow! Okay, okay… not funny. And I really hate the images it put in my head." Lucas shook his head in disgust. "Come on, it could have been worse… he could have walked in on us actually having sex. Now that would've been more embarrassing."

"Yeah, I guess," Peyton conceded.

Lucas smiled and kissed her lips softly. "I guess we should get up and go see what Nate wanted."

Peyton and Lucas both got dressed, made sure they looked decent and left to go find Nathan.

They found him sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a bottle of water. When he saw them walk in, a naughty smirk formed on his face. "Hey guys… whatcha doin?"

Peyton rolled her eyes and blushed, and Lucas laughed loudly. "What's up, Nate?"

"Oh, yeah I was just coming over here to see if you wanted to go play a little ball down at the Rivercourt and hang out for a little bit, seeing as Haley's busy and we haven't hung out in a while."

Lucas looked over at Peyton and she nodded her head. "Go on, have some manly fun. I'm pretty much gonna go home and bury my head under the covers for the rest of the day." She fake smiled sweetly at Nathan.

Lucas kissed the top of her head and ran off to change. "Alright Nate, sounds good, just let me change and we'll get out of here."

Peyton shifted anxiously from foot to foot while Nathan struggled not to tease her. She noticed the look on his face and jumped in.

"Okay, I swear to God, if you ever speak of this again, I will kill you. Slowly. And painfully. Got it?" Peyton threatened.

Nathan chuckled. "C'mon Sawyer, it's not that bad. I've seen all those parts of you already."

Peyton picked up the newspaper lying next to her and began smacking him on the arm with it. "You and your brother are just alike. That's what he said."

Nathan forced the paper out of her hand. "I promise I'll never bring it up again. You know, at least when you're around."

Peyton huffed. "So you're going to tell Hales?"

Nathan nodded. "It's too good not to."

"Just so you know, I hate you." Peyton pouted and plopped down into the kitchen chair.

Lucas walked back into the kitchen and picked a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Peyt, let it go, we'll never discuss it again."

Nathan looked between them and started to back out of the house. "I'll go wait outside for you Luke." He paused thoughtfully. "I'll make sure to knock if I decide to come back in, just in case you two want to get naked."

Peyton threw the newspaper toward the closing door hoping to hit Nathan.

Lucas pulled her up so he could hold her in his arms. "You sure you don't wanna hang out today? I'm assuming that's why you came over."

Peyton shook her head. "I just missed you is all. Ever since that fight we've been a little off. And I wanted to make sure we were okay."

"I'm sorry, Peyt. I've just been busy with my mom and the café."

"No, I know that. But, you haven't even stayed over since that night," She pointed out.

"Okay, so on top of being busy, I was afraid that things would be a little awkward so I was giving you space. I know how you can get, Blondie." He tugged on a curl and grinned.

"You're right. But for future reference, three days is too long."

He kissed her nose. "What are you talking about? One day is too long… three days is excruciating," He whispered hotly into her ear, making her sigh happily and lean into him.

"I'm assuming you won't be with him all day?"

"Probably not, I know he's going to want to meet Hales in between her shifts, and I want to spend some quality time with my beautiful girlfriend."

"Good answer. And when you come over… plan on staying the night. No more of this sleeping alone business. That's no fun for anyone."

"I completely agree. I'll probably be around in 3 hours or so, sound good?"

"Sounds great." She leaned up to peck his lips.

He pulled her in for one last hug, and then began walking out the door. "Okay, I'll see you later then. Love you."

Peyton's heart fluttered at hearing those words. "Love you too."

As Lucas walked out the door, Peyton turned and headed back to his room to get her things. When she looked at the messy bed sheets, she flushed again when thinking about what had transpired. Maybe Nate interrupting was a sign that they weren't ready. Besides, she wanted them to make love when everything was perfect, in a perfect setting. She wanted their first time together to be special. She decided she was happy it hadn't happened that morning. She was determined to make their first time something they'd never forget.

* * *

**Okay everybody, I just want to say how thankful I am for the wonderful reviews. I wanted to get another piece out today to celebrate the premiere! I hope everybody enjoys it. In 414 when Lucas says "Nobody's gonna walk in," I know he was referring to Karen, but I thought, maybe there was a back story to that where someone had walked in on them. Hope everyone liked it!**

**I was thinking of bumping this up to M. Was this too raunchy for T? I don't think so. Also, I have something planned that takes place after 417 that's a smut piece. I don't know how many people like smut or don't, but should I post it as a separate piece, or post it along with this and bump the rating up to M? Let me know what you all think!**


	5. After 416 Wonderful Tonight

Sorry it's taken me so long to come out with this one. Well, I guess it hasn't been too long, but I was on a roll there for a while, lol! I've been reeling since the premiere. How amazing was angsty LP? It was so yummy, I love when they pine for each other. The "your art matters" stuff… how man, it had me nearly in tears.

So, this one's a little more serious. This takes place after 4.16, Peyton's attack and the prom.

* * *

Lucas was still in the hallway of Tree Hill High thinking about the school shooting, Keith, and the girl hiding behind the blinds that he had just seen in his head when he heard massive applause coming from the gymnasium. Lucas started his trek back to prom, trying to focus on the dance, and less on the shooting… for now. When he did that, thoughts of how mad he was came to surface. Sure, Peyton had sent him a text, but the dance was almost ending, and she still hadn't shown. Prom was supposed to be a huge night for seniors, and all he wanted was to share that night with the love of his life, and she was still too stubborn to show up because of Brooke and Nathan.

When Lucas walked back into Prom, he saw Brooke up on stage accepting the crown as Prom Queen. Luke smiled, of course his ex-girlfriend would be named Prom Queen; she was definitely well suited for the title. Lucas stopped smiling upon closer inspection of her. It seemed that her dress was torn and her face was bruised, it looked like she had just been in a knock-down-drag-out fight, and she looked terribly unhappy. Why would Brooke Davis be upset to be Prom Queen, and more importantly what the hell had happened? He groaned loudly and rubbed his face. He remembered seeing Brooke leave prom with a determined look on her face. The first thought that popped into his head was that she had gone over to Peyton's and they had gotten into another fight.

As he was walking closer toward the stage, a familiar flash of golden curls caught his eye and his breath caught in his throat. Peyton was here! She was watching Brooke accept the crown, so she didn't notice him marching up to her. As Luke got closer, he noticed that Peyton's beautiful white dress was ripped quite badly, her hair was in disarray, and he saw what he dearly hoped was not blood all over the dress – and even on her face. Lucas's steps quickened, reaching her as soon as possible. He knew this was no fight with Brooke, and his nerves were getting the best of him.

"Peyton?" Lucas questioned softly.

Peyton turned to face Lucas, a look of sadness and fright on her face. But when she realized it was Luke, she jumped into his welcoming arms, and wrapped hers around his neck, holding on tightly. Lucas could feel her shaking, and he tightened his grip on her, becoming more and more scared by the second.

"Peyt, what happened? I'm really starting to freak out here."

Peyton didn't say anything, just tightened her grip even further, not willing to let go, and not wanting to think about the events of this evening. Even though she had defended herself, and stood up to Derek, and now she knew for sure he'd never hurt her again. She just didn't want to relive another attack. The first two were enough.

Lucas knew she wasn't willing to talk, but he was really scared for his girlfriend. "Come on Peyt, let's get out here."

He took her hand and led them willingly out of prom, out of the high school, and to his car.

Peyton looked at him and suddenly got nervous. "Luke! I just got to prom. You've spent the whole dance alone, don't you want to go back in and share our one dance together?" Peyton was fidgety and nervous, glancing around the parking lot.

Lucas walked over to the passenger side of the car, and took her chin gently in his hands, his eyes pleading. "Peyton please, baby, tell me what happened. I know that everything is not okay. First, you don't answer when I show up to pick you up, then I get a text saying you're coming, and you never show… almost 4 hours later, and here you are, all disheveled looking and… bloody. And you keep looking around like something's going to happen. What did happen?"

Peyton's eyes filled with tears and she took in a deep breath. "Where do I start? Lucas, Psycho Derek was never found. He made the fake phone call to me. And tonight… he came back, and tried to finish what he started that night." Peyton paused and looked at Lucas, whose fists were clenching, and eyes were clouding over. She quickly continued, "When you rang the bell, he was holding his hand over my mouth, and I was trying so hard to get your attention Luke, I swear. Then he knocked me out, and dragged me into the basement, I suppose. I don't remember much – just that I woke up tied to a chair in the basement and gagged. He sent you that text message when he saw I had my cell in my hand and was trying to get a hold of you. Then, the next thing I knew Brooke showed up. Brooke new that no matter what was going on in our lives, I would never miss prom. We've discussed it since we were kids. But, he knocked her out and tied her up as well, it was awful to watch. Finally, I got Psycho Derek to let me go, because I convinced him I would kill Brooke." Peyton was almost sobbing at this point. "Then, I stabbed him, and ran up to my room. I wanted to save Brooke, but he was coming after me. When he came up to my room, I just let go – and literally beat the shit out of him. He almost got the advantage, but Brooke broke free and we took care of him. I almost got carried away. And then the cops came, we gave statements, they arrested him, and he's out of our lives for good."

When she finished, they were both in tears, and Lucas was holding onto her shoulders, trying not to let the guilt tear away at him.

"Lucas I'm so sorry we didn't get our prom night together, if I just would've…" Peyton began but was caught off by Lucas.

"Oh my God, Peyt, do not even go there. I'm so sorry that I left you. I should've known you were going to go to prom. I should've tried harder; I should've busted down the door… anything. I just can't believe he got to you again."

Peyton could see the tears in his eyes, and there were even a few stray ones making their way down his cheeks. Even after all she'd been through tonight, this was hitting her hard.

"Lucas no, don't do that. This is not your fault, it's his. You can't always protect me. How could you have known that this would happen?"

Lucas nodded and bowed his head, more tears leaking out of his eyes. Peyton brought a hand up to cup the side of his face, and he leaned into it, closing his eyes.

Before he could speak, Peyton did. "Can I use your phone? I kind of… don't have one anymore, and I need to call Brooke, and make sure she's okay before we leave."

He handed her his cell phone and watched her take a few steps away to call her best friend. Well, he hoped that now that they were best friends again. He didn't want them to rekindle their friendship because of only this, but he hoped that they would be best friends again. He knew that's what would make his girlfriend happy. His thoughts turned to Psycho Derek. He could not wrap his mind around the fact that he had once again tried to hurt Peyton. More so – Lucas felt extremely guilty. He really shouldn't have left her house without trying everything he could to get to her. And then he spent most of prom being pissed at her for not coming, and then he assumed her and Brooke got into a fight when he saw how roughed up they appeared. In short, Lucas Scott was feeling like the world's worst boyfriend. How could he not have been there to save Peyton Sawyer? That was what he was supposed to do.

Lucas was snapped out of his thoughts as Peyton reappeared in front of him. "Okay, Brooke it seems, has left with Skills and Bevin, and they are taking her to stay with the Naley kids tonight. I just… didn't want her to be alone tonight after everything. Listen, can you just take us home, and we can talk about it there?"

Lucas took her into his arms once more. He didn't need to ask what she meant by home – his house. He knew there was no way she was stepping foot into the Sawyer household again for a very long time. "Of course." He kissed the top of her head and then opened the door of his car for her. "Let's go home."

----------

Lucas was sitting on his bed in his sleep clothes, once again feeling sad and guilty, when he heard his phone vibrating. He looked down at the caller ID and sighed.

"Hey Hales."

"Lucas! Is Peyton okay? Brooke just got here not too long ago, and she's a mess, and she told us all about tonight, and the attack, and Peyton… is Peyton okay?"

Lucas normally would have laughed at his best friend's rambling, but he just couldn't bring himself to. "I think she's okay considering it all. She seems much better than the first time. But, obviously she's shaken and upset. She explained what happened, but we haven't really discussed the rest. She's taking a shower right now, and then I guess we'll go over it."

Haley could picture the look on Lucas's face, and knew exactly what was going through his mind. "Lucas… don't do this to yourself. Do _not _blame yourself. I know how much you love being that guy for Peyton, the one always saving her, but this was unstoppable. No one saw this coming. And honestly, she needed to do this for herself. You can't always be there, Luke."

Lucas felt himself starting to get emotional again. "I know that Hales, I just can't help it. I have this need to always want to be there for her." He paused and sighed again. "You know what… that's a conversation for her and me to have. You're right about all you said, though. How's Brooke doing?"

"Actually, I think she's okay. I don't know, she took a shower and then passed out in our bed. She did make it very clear though that Nathan was to sleep on the couch, because her and I were to share a bed, there was no way she was sleeping alone. Which I totally understand. I wouldn't want her alone tonight, either."

The best friends shared a small chuckle. "Well, I'm glad that she's okay. Now, I just need to talk to my girlfriend and make sure she's okay."

"She's a fighter, Luke, we all know that. Just try not to let yourself get too down. But, I'm going to get to bed. Have Peyton call me in the morning?"

"Of course. And thanks Hales… I love ya."

"Love you too, BIL."

Lucas laughed quietly to himself as they hung up. At that exact time Peyton walked into his room, looking freshly showered, and swimming in one of his old t-shirts and a pair of his boxers.

The room was ripe with tension and he decided to bring an air of lightness into the atmosphere. "Just so you know, my clothes look… wow, on you. And I would totally hit on you and make a move if it weren't such an inappropriate moment."

Peyton let out her first laugh of the night, and plopped down onto her side of his bed, snuggling up into Lucas.

"My mom came in while you were showering… she's really worried about you, so expect an onslaught of hovering and questions tomorrow. And… I'm really worried too, Peyt. Please tell me how you're feeling."

"Honestly? I feel… violated, angry, scared, upset, but most of all… liberated. I mean, he's finally gone, Luke. He's never going to hurt me again. I know he's locked up. I'm not saying I won't be skittish and looking over my shoulders for a while, because I will. It's just, I'm glad that I could finally confront him and I got to stand up for myself. I showed him that I wasn't afraid to take control, and that he doesn't have a hold on me."

Lucas brought her hand up to his mouth to give it a chaste kiss. Peyton could still see the worry in his eyes, and could almost pinpoint exactly what was on his mind, but decided to let him speak his peace.

"And at this moment, I'm kind of concerned about you, babe. What's wrong? I promise I'm okay, so why are you still so worried looking?" She ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"I shouldn't have left you, Peyt. I know you better than that, I knew that you were going to give in and come to prom. When you didn't answer – it should've clued me in that something was wrong."

"Luke – there was no way…"

"Peyton, you said it yourself: I'm always saving you. And this one time you need me, I'm at prom pouting and being angry with you for not coming. I'm so sorry I was angry, if I would've known…" He took a deep breath and began again. "I'm just imagining all of the awful things that could have happened to you. It's really upsetting to me. I'm supposed to be the guy that's there for you, and I couldn't even do that one thing."

"Lucas, it was once out of a million other times you've saved me. When we first met, I was so bitter and angry, and you ripped those walls down and saved me from myself. Or the school shooting or the first Psycho Derek attack. It was you… all of those times. And I'm going to be honest, I'm glad Brooke showed up. As sick as it is… it brought us back together. And even though she partially saved my life, I did it for myself, as well. I needed to be able to handle this myself. Don't get all broody and down on yourself. You couldn't have stopped this."

Lucas smiled and gently pressed his lips against hers. "You get attacked, and I'm more upset than you are. How does that happen?"

They both laughed and leaned their foreheads together. "I know how you feel, Luke. If it would've been you in trouble or hurt… I don't know how I would deal. Actually I do know… both times you were in the hospital, I was a mess. But… I'm okay now, Lucas. We both need to move on from what happened. I love that you're that guy for me, and I wouldn't want anyone else to have your place. But sometimes I need to be independent and save myself. I need to be a big girl."

"I know you do, Peyt. And you are – you are so independent and strong, it's the thing I admire most about you. I'm so happy you are okay. And I am _so_ proud of you for standing up to that Psycho, and getting him out of our lives once and for all." He sighed and stared into her deep green eyes. "God, I love you. And I swear if Psycho Derek weren't already in jail and locked up for good, he would seriously be in for a world of hurt. Just the thought of him hurting you, and his hands on you makes me crazy. The thought of anyone hurting you makes my blood boil."

"We never have to worry about him again. It's all over. Everything's going to be okay. We'll be okay." She paused and her face turned into another sorrowful expression. "I'm just really upset we didn't get to share prom together, and have at least one dance."

Lucas tilted her chin up with his fingers. "None of that matters. The only important thing is that you are here and we're together and we're going to make it through this." He turned thoughtful and walked over to his laptop.

"What are you doing, Luke? I thought we were having a conversation, here. Bored of me already?" She joked.

He shot her a playful glare a queued up a song on his i-Tunes. "Okay, I know I said it didn't matter, but we need to have our one dance. It's all I wanted out of tonight… to dance and be with the woman I love."

Peyton swore that he could hear her own heart thumping against her ribcage. She didn't understand how he could still make her nervous and give her butterflies after nearly 2 years of being in love with him. She supposed it was something Lucas Scott would always do to her… and she looked forward to never losing that feeling. She was shaken out of her reverie when Lucas's hand came up, silently asking for her to stand and join him.

The strains of a very familiar song floated through Lucas's room as Peyton slipped her left hand into Lucas's right hand, her other arm coming to rest on his shoulder, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck, while Lucas's other hand slid around her waist, drawing her impossibly close to him.

_It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.  
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair._

Peyton laughed softly and leaned up to whisper in his hear. "Wonderful Tonight, Luke?"

"It's fitting babe. And don't lie – I know how much you love this song."

He knew her so well. "God, I love you, Lucas." Peyton rested her head against Luke's shoulder and felt more than heard him repeat the three words back to her. As much as the attack tonight did affect her, and as much as she knew it would continue to bother her in the days, weeks, maybe evens months to come, all she wanted to do right now was dance with her boyfriend, and for a few minutes – just have their own private prom.

_I feel wonderful because I see  
The love light in your eyes.  
And the wonder of it all  
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you_.

* * *

So what do you all think? I hope it was good and well worth the wait. I think I could've done better with the intensity, but I edited it many times, and this is what came out. The next one should be sooner… hopefully. Thanks for all of the reviews, and let me know what you thought of this one! 


	6. Before 417 Three's Company

Hey all, okay – my reviews and hits went way down on the last chapter. I know it definitely wasn't my best, but I hope you guys are still enjoying these stories. I know I love writing it. I hope this one is better.

This takes place right before 4.17, _It Gets the Worst at Night_, and the idea was suggested to me by **WhatchaSaying. **So thanks for the inspiration and idea! I hope you all enjoy this.

A/N: Again, I don't own OTH or What Not to Wear. :)

* * *

That night of the Psycho Derek attack, shortly after Peyton and Lucas had finished up their dance in his room, Brooke had showed up on Lucas's doorstep, nearly in tears and looking for comfort in her best friend's arms. Brooke Davis had always had a fear of being alone, hiding beneath the façade of her bubbly personality and popularity. Now that she had been a part of a psycho's attack, that fear had increased tenfold. Lucas had opened the door, with Peyton behind him, her arms open and welcoming. Brooke had felt a smidge of embarrassment – they had an incredibly romantic song playing, and they both looked a little flushed – she knew she had walked in to a private moment of theirs. But staying with Nathan and Haley had provided little to no comfort, and she knew that the only person who could make her feel better – and also, knew exactly how scared she was – was her best friend.

That night, after Lucas had fallen asleep, the two girls had migrated to the living room, where they stayed up until nearly 4 A.M, talking about the attack, their friendship, and anything else that came to mind, just feeling comfort in being near the person who knows you best. They had both fallen asleep on the couch – Brooke's head on Peyton's shoulder and Peyton's head on top of hers. When Lucas woke up the next morning, he had been more than disappointed, and honestly, a little afraid to discover Peyton hadn't been in bed next to him. However, upon reaching the living room, his disappointment quickly faded when he saw the two best friends curled up asleep next to each other. Just seeing them the way they used to be put a huge smile on his face, and gave him hope. Luke knew they were meant to always be friends, and every day he thought about how much he had messed things up between them, and wished for them to get back to normal. Maybe something magnificent had come from this tragedy after all. Every night after that, Brooke had slept on his couch. Some nights Peyton would stay up late talking with her, but she always ended up back in bed with him.

It had been almost a week since that night, and Brooke still wasn't ready to go back to Rachel's big house all alone. Peyton wasn't ready to let her go back either. Not only did Peyton feel uncomfortable leaving Brooke alone, she felt a great sense of comfort having her in the same house every night. Lucas and Karen completely understood, and Karen had graciously extended an offer to Brooke to let her stay there as long as she needed to. Needless to say, Brooke was definitely taking full advantage of the offer.

So now, 5 days later, Brooke and Peyton both seemed like they were starting to heal from the attack. Not surprisingly, Brooke was handling it better than Peyton. At least, that's how she made it seem to Lucas and Peyton. She didn't want them to see just how afraid and violated she felt. She didn't want to make Peyton even more scared and upset. A few of the nights she spent here at Luke's, she'd cry herself to sleep, when she was assured that the rest of the people in the house were asleep.

Currently, Lucas, Peyton and Brooke were in the living room finishing up an episode of a television show.

Once the show had ended, Lucas spoke up.

"I cannot believe that the two of you convinced me to watch that. Never again."

Brooke and Peyton laughed loudly.

"C'mon Luke, it was amazing – admit it," Brooke rasped out.

Peyton chimed in. "_What Not to Wear_ is awesome. It changes people's lives!"

"Really, Peyt? How – by tearing down their self-esteem and basically saying that they're not good enough how they are? I get Brooke loving this show what with the fashion and all… but you, Blondie? How'd you get into this?"

"First of all, Broody, they lift people's self-esteem by making them see the error of their ways and giving them 5,000 dollars to get a whole new wardrobe, and Carmendie and Nick make them over. And if you listened at all, you would know that Stacy and Clinton build them up and try to make those girls see how beautiful they are and can be. And, your girlfriend is the one that got me into this."

Peyton blushed. "It's true. And hey, I may not be a designer or anything, but I like fashion! You know, somewhat. Oh and Luke, I looked over at you, and I know you were enjoying it. You can't lie."

Lucas sighed and stood up. "Well, I think it's time to get to bed, huh?"

Peyton and Brooke both laughed, knowing they had caught him.

"You coming Peyt, or are you going to stay out here a little longer?" Lucas questioned his girlfriend.

Peyton glanced over to Brooke. "I'm actually going to get to bed, too. Is that okay?"

Brooke pulled Peyton into a hug. "Totally. I'm exhausted too and I know I've been encroaching on your guys' alone time. Go be alone."

"You sure?" Brooke nodded at Peyton's question. "Okay, well you know where I am if you need me."

Peyton hugged Brooke and said good night, leaving to follow Lucas into his bedroom.

----------

Peyton was lying on Lucas's bed, skimming through a Steinbeck novel that had been carelessly thrown on the floor, while waiting for Lucas to finish up his shower.

Peyton glanced up when she heard the door open and smiled upon seeing her boyfriend enter the room. "You know what I miss?" She questioned him.

Lucas came to stand next to her. "What's that?"

She smiled coyly. "I miss those days, that whenever I would see you, you'd be reading. You were never without a classic novel in hand. Back then was when I first fell in love with you."

Lucas couldn't help but smile, and his heart thumped a little harder at her admission. "Hey, I still read!" Lucas proclaimed.

"I know you do; I know you're a nerd at heart who will always love reading. But what happened to the boy that always read in his spare time?" She teased.

"I never really thought about it. I guess I finally got a life," He laughed. "I read at home a lot, you just don't see that. And plus, Blondie – you take up a lot of my time." He leaned down to kiss her softly. "But, you know what I miss?"

"What do you miss?" She asked him this while getting up on her knees on the bed to meet his height, and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. "I miss the days whenever I looked at you, you'd be drawing. That's when I first fell in love with you."

Peyton blushed and butterflies instantly swarmed her stomach.

"Why haven't I seen you drawing in a long time?"

"You know how much I absolutely love drawing, Lucas. But, this is going to sound awful and twisted… I only really find inspiration to draw when I'm angry at the world." They both laughed out loud at her confession. "And I've been extremely happy lately. You know, besides the last week or so. That's kind of sucked."

Lucas immediately looked concerned. "But… you're starting to feel better right?"

Peyton sighed and ran her hands through his hair. "Yes, I am. But, I still see him sometimes, you know? Late at night, when I close my eyes or sometimes when I'm in the shower. Just when I'm alone, it gets harder. Especially late at night and if you've fallen asleep before me. I'm slowly getting better, but it's still going to take a lot of time."

Lucas accepted her answer and kissed her on top of her nose tenderly. Lucas started to walk toward his computer to shut it down for the night, but stopped when he heard her voice and felt her arm tug him back.

"Hey Luke, you are the best boyfriend ever, you know that?" Lucas chuckled and looked away. "No, I mean it. Putting up with all of my rollercoaster emotions, and letting me cry and get angry, and just letting me stay with you every night. And I can't even begin to thank you for how you're being with Brooke and I. I know it's not exactly conventional, and at times it's been a little awkward, but I just need her here, and I know she's not ready to be alone. I just… words can't describe how much I love you for being who you are."

She spoke with such passion about him that Lucas couldn't stop himself; he needed the feel of her lips against his, moving together in ecstasy. Lucas leaned down and crashed their lips together. Despite the situation, it was a kiss of passion and hunger; tongues dueling together, breathing heavy, and hands roaming. Peyton was the first to pull back.

"You know, I don't think that sort of action is good for your heart."

Lucas laughed, but ignored the statement. "You know how much I love you Peyton, and I would do anything to make you feel safe and protected."

She nodded and just hugged him again. "It's one of a thousand reasons why I love you."

Lucas walked to shut down his computer and put away a few clothing items while Peyton snuggled deep down into his bed. When Lucas joined her, he noticed that she was on his side of the bed.

"Hey missy, what's all this?"

She giggled lightly and rolled over so that her right leg was thrown in between his, and her head was burrowed into his chest. "I felt like trying something new," She mumbled.

"Peyt," He whined, "I feel weird on your side."

"Oh you are such a baby. And I'm way too tired to move," Peyton complained and looked up at him with wide eyes, "You wouldn't want to make your wonderful girlfriend move would you?"

"You're lucky I love you," He grumbled back, his face buried in those curls he couldn't get enough of.

Peyton was about to speak up again when the door creaked open and Brooke entered the room. She looked extremely nervous and her eyes were rimmed with tears.

"I am so sorry guys; I didn't mean to interrupt anything…"

Peyton cut her off, while sitting up on the bed. "It's okay, don't worry about it. What's wrong Brooke?"

"I uh, I had a nightmare… about him. And I just, I was scared to stay out there all alone." Brooke was fidgeting and looking around nervously.

Peyton looked at Lucas meaningfully; he got the hint and nodded, scooting as far as he could to the left side of his bed. Peyton moved further over, and patted the right side of the bed. "You don't have to be alone."

Brooke hesitated briefly, before walking over to the empty space. "Are you two sure? I don't want to interrupt or anything."

Lucas sighed. "You weren't interrupting anything, Brooke. It's okay; we don't want you to feel alone."

The three of them settled into Lucas's bed, ready for sleep, when Lucas grumbled lightly, "I guess I'm not getting my side of the bed back now."

Peyton just elbowed him lightly.

Brooked let out a loud laugh that turned into cackling that she couldn't control.

"What's so funny, Brooke?" Peyton asked, amused herself.

"Oh just… if everyone could see us now. The once famed love triangle of Tree Hill that is no more. Lucas Scott in bed with his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend who are best friends that not so long ago claimed to hate each other. It's all a bit ironic, no?"

Lucas and Peyton both joined in with her laughter, all of them thankful that this wasn't as awkward as it could have been.

They had all been quiet for a few moments, when Lucas couldn't hold it in any longer. "I just can't believe it. This was my biggest fantasy for like 2 years. In bed with Peyton Sawyer and Brooke Davis… at the same time. This would have made everything a lot simpler in the beginning, huh?" He joked, while placing a reassuring hand on Peyton's hip.

Peyton and Brooke both grabbed a pillow and started attacking him with it.

"Hey! Hey! I surrender… I was just kidding!"

Peyton and Brooke huffed and laid back down.

"Pig!" "Typical man!" They both let out at once, laughing at the absurdity.

Brooke turned to lay on her right side, and both Lucas and Peyton followed, making it look like they were all spooning each other. Lucas gently and discreetly kissed Peyton's neck, and kept one hand on her hip.

"Goodnight Peyt, Brooke."

"Night Luke, P. Sawyer."

"Goodnight Lucas, B. Davis."

* * *

So, I hope this one was better and you all liked it! I personally think it was better than the last chapter! Let me know what you think. Also, I may be putting up another story soon… crazy, I know. I just have some great ideas going! But, I really hope everyone enjoyed this installment.

Next one up: Lucas and Peyton return from Honey Grove and engage in some more _fun_ activities.


	7. After 417 We Belong Together

Wow, twice in one day – I'm on a roll! I just want to thank all of you that continue to leave amazing, encouraging reviews for my story. Words can't express how happy that makes me, and it inspires me to keep going. So, thank you all, once again. It is so appreciated.

This takes place right after 4.17, Lucas and Peyton return home from Honey Grove.

* * *

Lucas yawned, setting down his and Peyton's bags when he stepped inside his room. Peyton had already collapsed onto his bed, face first, intending to fall asleep. It had been a long couple of days – amazing for Lucas and Peyton – but still long and exhausting. It was only 3 in the afternoon, but to Peyton, nothing sounded better than falling asleep until the next morning. Lucas on the other hand, was strangely exhilarated; he finally had a lead in what he suspected happened with Keith's murder, but for right now the biggest and best thing; he had finally made love with the love of his life, Peyton Sawyer, and he couldn't stop replaying the images in his head: the fire in Peyton's eyes as they moved as one, the feel of her nails delicately scraping his back, and the quiet 'I love yous' exchanged afterwards. Quite honestly, Lucas was hoping to have a repeat of what happened in the motel room in Honey Grove.

Peyton felt the bed dip, and knew Lucas was now lying down beside her. She felt his hand come to rest on her lower back, where her shirt had rode up, revealing milky skin to his eyes. Next, she felt his soft, full lips land on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. Peyton quickly felt herself becoming overheated. _To hell with being tired_, she thought.

"What are you up to, Mr. Scott?" She tried to sound coy and sexy, but it came out a little raspy and breathless, his kisses on her neck making her weak. She was thankful to have been on the bed; she was sure if she'd been standing, her knees would've collapsed.

"Just getting myself reacquainted," He murmured, still suckling on a sensitive spot near her ear.

Peyton moaned softly, "If I recall, we spent most of last night 'getting reacquainted.'"

Lucas pulled back for a moment and smiled warmly into her eyes. "Trust me baby, last night is not something I will ever forget."

She laid a teasing kiss upon his lips. "Mmm, me neither. It was… amazing," She sighed dreamily.

Lucas chuckled at the dreamy expression on her face. "That it was."

Lucas felt Peyton's hands roaming down his chest, one hand started unbuttoning his shirt slowly; while the other moved down to cup him through his jeans.

Lucas could hardly contain the moan that was bubbling up in his throat. "Well, I was going to suggest we have a repeat performance of last night, but I see you're already a step ahead of me."

"Now that I know what it's like to be _with _you, I can't get enough. We are going to do that… as often as possible." Peyton was breathing heavily and rolled her body on top of his, to straddle him.

"Baby, you read my mind. I have wanted to make love to you for years and last night… blew my mind away. Even my best fantasies couldn't compare to how amazing it felt to be with you; to be inside of you."

If Peyton hadn't been so aroused, she knew his words would've made her emotional and brought tears to her eyes. "Just when I think things can't get any better… you go and say something like that."

Peyton sat up, still straddling Lucas and looked around the room. "Are you sure your mom will be at the café all afternoon?"

"I'm sure. And you're sure Brooke is at your guys' new apartment getting settled in?"

"Absolutely positive. And I made sure both doors were locked."

"Good, I would like us to have at least one intimate moment without getting walked in on."

They both laughed at the thought.

"So, why are you moving in with Brooke? Why not just move in here permanently?" He questioned, smiling cheekily.

Peyton snorted. "Yeah, okay. I'm sure Karen would love it if your girlfriend moved in for good."

"Why not? You've stayed here for weeks at a time," Lucas pointed out.

"Okay, I refuse to believe you're being serious. First of all, every time I stayed here, we knew there was an expiration date on it; that I'd be going home soon. Second, I really want to keep this closeness with Brooke, and I hate the idea of her living alone." Peyton leaned down to nip his earlobe. "Plus, this way I can sneak in late at night and have my wicked way with you."

Lucas shut his eyes and leaned into her. "Honestly, the only part of that I absorbed was the part about you sneaking in and doing with me as you please."

"Typical, Lucas," She chided.

"Hey, you can't expect much out of me right now. I have the most beautiful girl in the world sitting on top of me, while I'm growing increasingly horny, and thoughts of last night keep flashing through my head. I've only got one thing on my mind." As he spoke, he tugged on the bottom of her shirt, trying hastily to whip it off.

Peyton lifted her arms to assist him with the removal of her shirt. "Sex is always on your mind, babe."

"Sex with you, Peyt… that's always on my mind. I'm a man with a gorgeous girlfriend, like I said, you really can't expect much."

Peyton giggled and helped him remove his button up and under shirt. "Oddly sweet, but less talking, more action."

"Yes ma'am."

Lucas moved down to unbutton his jeans, he was aching beneath, and he couldn't handle the restriction of the rough fabric any longer. Peyton aggressively brushed his hands out of the way, and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants herself. She was making it clear that this time around, she was in control.

Seeing Peyton take control of the situation increased his arousal immensely. He could feel himself growing harder by the second. Last night, their first night ever together in that sense, it had been sweet and tender and loving, and he'd mostly been in control. In short, it had been the most perfect sex he'd ever experienced. However, he couldn't deny how much he loved this new rough and aggressive facet of their love-making. It excited him for all of the times they would have to come.

Peyton lifted her body off of his for a second to help him remove the jeans that were in the way of her destination. Once they were off, Lucas moved to her jeans and hurriedly undid them, almost racing to tear them from her body. After he had accomplished that task, he moved his rough, calloused hands up her silky smooth skin to unclasp her fuchsia bra – that was sexy as hell, he noted – and threw it haphazardly into one of the corners of his room.

Although Lucas had just seen her in this same state last night, he couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful Peyton Sawyer really was. His hands trailed up and down her torso, trying to feel every inch of incredible skin that he could take in. Peyton's head was thrown back, drinking in the feel of him – she loved the contrast of his rough hands against her soft skin; it was simply delicious.

Peyton took his hands and placed them on her panties, giving him incentive to remove them. Lucas didn't need to be told twice, and quickly moved the lace down her long legs. Peyton couldn't waste any more time, she needed to feel him. Once his boxers had been removed, she leaned down for another heated kiss. Their tongues were dueling for dominance, and hands were all over the place. While they were still kissing, Peyton managed to lean over for the small foil package that was needed.

It didn't take long to slip the protection into place, and then Peyton was sliding herself onto him with ease. They both threw their heads back in pure ecstasy, taking a minute to get used to the still new feeling. Lucas couldn't believe how perfectly they fit together; it was like they were made to be together in every way possible. Finally, Peyton started moving in a slow rhythm, moving back and forth, and swirling her hips carefully. Lucas lifted himself up, so that they were both sitting. He trailed kisses over her neck, shoulder, collarbone, and breasts, not able to get enough of this woman moving on top of him.

While the pressure she was building was incredible, Lucas couldn't take the sweet torture anymore, and flipped her onto her back, picking up the pace slightly, whispering words of love and lust into her ears, trying to heighten the experience – it was definitely working for Peyton. She couldn't believe how perfect this feeling of making love to the man she loved was. She locked her legs around him, trying to feel as close as possible, also knowing how much of a fetish he had with her legs. Lucas immediately rested one of his hands on her thighs, while the other was on the bed next to them, holding his weight.

Before long they were tumbling over the edge, shouting each other's names. Lucas collapsed in elated exhaustion next to her, dragging her by the hips to lay half on top of him. He brought one of his hands up to her curls, and the other rested on her back, drawing invisible circles and lines.

Peyton sighed happily and kissed his bare chest. "And I thought last night was fantastic."

"That was… out of this world," He agreed.

Peyton sat up quickly, the sheets falling around her to reveal her bare torso. Lucas took in a deep breath upon seeing her naked body again. The sight was literally breathtaking. She stood up from the bed completely nude and backing up. "You know, I'm all sweaty and dirty now… I think I, well we, should go clean up." She arched and eyebrow, trying to send him the message.

"You mean, like shower together?" This day couldn't get any better for Lucas Scott.

"That's exactly what I mean, Scott. You coming?"

Lucas jumped up without another word, racing after her into his bathroom, both giggling in anticipation.

* * *

I hope that was as good as the rest of the chapters, if not (hopefully) better. I also hope you all didn't think the ending was too abrupt! I was thinking of making it raunchier, but I figured I can always do a one-shot like that, which I am definitely planning. I really hope you all liked this, and it fit into context. Let me know! It makes me sad that reviews have been going down. Also! I posted a new AUish fic called _All We Ever Needed. _Check it out! 


	8. During 421 Our Future

Okay, I'm sad to say that after this, there is only one more. I've had such a great time writing this, but all good things must come to an end. But, I have plenty of more Leyton ideas!

Okay, this one takes place during 421 – Sometime between Graduation/The Hospital and the Senior Party. I just watched the episode to make sure, and there are two weeks in between, so this should work!

* * *

Karen Roe felt like the luckiest woman in the world at this very moment. Despite the fact that her ex-boyfriend from high school who also happened to be the father of her son murdered the love of her life, his brother; despite the fact that her little boy was all grown up and entering into adulthood; despite all of the craziness in her life; looking down into Lily Rose's beautiful eyes made the whole world seem to disappear, and all that mattered was this miracle baby. 

It had been just over a week since Karen had come home from the hospital. From what she'd been told by the doctors, she was in critical condition, and she was lucky to have made it out of surgery. Deep down, Karen knew it was Keith that had saved her – by telling her to go back, and that he'd wait for her. Though Karen had just recently gotten home from the hospital, and she didn't want to spend any time away from her darling baby girl, she had a couple of errands in mind that she needed to run. She knew she didn't have to check up on the café, but she hadn't been there in weeks, and she wanted to make sure nothing extremely crazy had happened with Deb running the place. Karen also had a doctor's appointment – they still wanted to check in on her every few days at the hospital.

Karen wandered down the hallway to her eldest child's room with Lily in her arms. She was hoping that Lucas wouldn't mind looking after his sister for a few hours. As she grew closer, she heard a faint giggling and whispering that sounded distinctly like Peyton and Lucas joking around. Karen rolled her eyes, but smiled; she was extremely happy that her son had found Peyton, and they were finally together. It also frightened her because she knew Peyton was the one woman who could take her son away forever; he had truly found the love of his life in high school. She just hoped that he was smart enough to never let her go.

Karen knocked lightly on the door before hearing a soft "come in" in reply. She opened the door and jokingly shielded her eyes.

Lucas laughed heartily and spoke, "Very funny, Mom. But Peyton is on the other side of the room, no need to close your eyes."

Karen looked up smiling, seeing that indeed Peyton was on the other side of the room, laughing and blushing a little.

"Just making sure I don't see anything that a mother never needs to see." She cleared her throat, "Lucas, would you mind taking care of Lily for a few hours? I have that doctor's appointment and some other things I need to get done. I'm sorry if you two had plans, but I won't be gone all day. I'll just be gone for 3 or 4 hours."

Lucas smiled at his mother. "It's no problem at all, Mom. We didn't really have any set plans. Is that fine with you Peyt?"

Before Lucas had even finished speaking, Peyton had made her way over to Karen and was taking Lily into her arms. "Are you kidding? I love spending time with the most beautiful baby in the world." She turned her face towards Lily's, and spoke in a baby voice. "Yes, yes you are. You're the most beautiful baby ever."

Lucas stifled a laugh and looked on adoringly at his girlfriend holding his week-old sister. He then turned to his mother. "Mom, what errands are you running? You just got home from the hospital a few days ago. You don't need to be running all over town."

Karen loved her son for being thoughtful, but he'd been almost overbearing since mother and daughter had come home. "Calm down, you're my son, not my father." They both laughed at that. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm just going to the appointment, then I want to stop by the café for a little bit, get some more groceries and stop by the post office. Is that okay with you?"

Lucas chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Just take it easy, okay?"

Karen kissed Lucas on the cheek. "Yes sir." She then walked over to Lily to fawn over her for one last minute, kissed Peyton on the cheek, and left with a simple "thank you, I love you all" thrown at the teenagers and infant.

Lucas and Peyton walked out to the living room, sitting down on the couch, and looking at the peaceful baby sitting in Peyton's arms.

"She has got to be the sweetest baby I have ever seen. So peaceful, and innocent. Untouched by this crazy world around us."

"That is one of the great things about babies. But hey, you better not let Jamie hear that he's not the sweetest or most beautiful baby ever."

Peyton laughed. "James is a very close second. I don't love him any less."

"I guess this family has been blessed with two beautiful babies."

Lucas leant down to take Lily into his arms, but Peyton turned away, cuddling into her.

"Peyt, stop being a baby hog, she's my sister!" Lucas whined.

Peyton pouted and shook her head.

"Peyt, honey… I love that you love my sister. But between Lily and Jamie and all the baby love, you're starting to freak me out," He half-teased.

Peyton immediately handed over Lily, and once she was securely in Lucas's arms, Peyton slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! I did not enjoy that."

"Well, I did not enjoy what you just said to me. I just love Jamie and Lily. I don't like what you're insinuating."

God, did Lucas love their banter. "I was just kidding around, Peyt. I just knew that was a surefire way to get you to give her up."

Peyton smacked his chest, lightly this time. "Jerk," she mumbled.

He leaned over and pecked her lips softly. "I love you, too."

The corners of Peyton's mouth turned up into a slow smile.

"So how does it feel to be a big brother?" She paused and thought about it, "To a sister?"

Lucas smiled and gazed down into Lily's big brown eyes. "It's awe-inspiring. She's so beautiful and innocent and trusting. I love having her around. And she's such a good baby; calm. And," he hesitated for a moment, "it's like having Keith here with us in some way. That's the best part."

Peyton leaned over to softly brush her lips against his temple. "She definitely resembles her father, that's for sure. But whether or not Lily is here… Keith is always with you guys."

Lucas took her hand in his free one. "I know that. I just really wish he could be here to see his daughter in person. And that she could grow up with the best father in the world, like I did."

Peyton felt her eyes misting, and hesitated to go where she was going next. "I'm so proud of you, Luke."

Lucas looked at her with confusion. "For what?"

"For going with your gut instinct and not giving up when you knew it was Dan. For making sure justice was served, and that everyone knew what he did."

"I couldn't let my mom be with someone that killed the love of her life. I just needed everyone to know the truth. And… it wasn't fair to Jimmy's memory."

"That is exactly why I am so proud of you. Um, are you… going to, uh, go see him?"

Lucas bowed his head and thought about it. "Maybe someday. I don't know if I can do it, Peyt. I hate him so much for what he's done. I mean, a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that he's in jail. Everything is the way it should be. I just… if I see him, I'll have to feel all of those feelings all over again. But right now, I just want to be happy. He's a miserable man and…"

All conversation was cut off by the shrill cry of the small person that was being ignored.

Lucas chuckled and looked down at her. "I think she's hungry. Peyt, would you mind getting the bottle ready?"

Peyton nodded and hopped up to warm up the bottle. As she was in the kitchen, Peyton reflected on the past week and a half: Lily being born, Karen almost dying, Haley having James, Dan being arrested. It was certainly the craziest week in a long time. The closer it got to her leaving for California, the sadder she got. She knew it was only one summer, but she'd miss out on so much. When she came back, Lily and Jamie would be so much bigger. Lucas's life would be completely different. Who knows what else would change?

Once she made sure the milk wasn't too hot, she brought the prepared bottle back to Lucas. While he was feeding his sister, Peyton walked around to his other side, and laid her head on that shoulder.

Lucas looked at the baby in his arms, and then at the girl by his side. His eyes closed momentarily and glimpses of what the future could hold raced through his mind. Images of the two of them, years older, situated much like this, with a curly-haired blue-eyed baby in his arms, this same woman at his side. Maybe another blonde-haired green-eyed toddler with an upturned nose running around. Lucas shook his head lightly. Just moments ago he was chastising Peyton for going baby-crazy, when here he was imagining their life together.

----------

Peyton had dozed off for a while, and when she awoke, she saw that Lily was asleep in Lucas's arms, and Lucas himself was fighting sleep. Peyton carefully took Lily out of her boyfriend's arms and brought her down the hall to her crib. She kissed her on the forehead and took in her wonderful baby smell. "Goodnight Lils."

Once Lily was situated comfortably under her blankie, Peyton leaned her elbows on the rail of the crib to watch the baby in her peaceful slumber. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to stare into that crib and see a baby with her curly locks, and Lucas's nose and mouth. She imagined coming home every night to Lucas. She could see him teaching their son to play basketball and reading old works of literature to their kids. She imagined having a girl who loved to draw and appreciated the music of all of the greats she, herself, admired. Peyton opened her eyes and shook her head. This is what Lucas was chiding her for earlier. _If only he knew what was really going through my mind_, Peyton thought, _he'd really freak out. _

Peyton's thoughts were interrupted when she felt Lucas sliding his arms around her waist and pressing the front of his body up against the back of hers. She smiled and leaned her head back to rest against her chest.

"Do you ever think about it?"

Peyton furrowed her eyebrows and turned around in his arms. "Think about what?"

"Think about having kids, starting a family, all of that?"

"Of course I do. Doesn't everybody? I mean, do you?"

"Yeah, I do, actually."

He took the baby monitor off of the shelf, closed Lily's door halfway, and led them back to the living room.

"And what exactly do you think when you think about all of that?"

Lucas sat down and pulled her into his lap, tenderly brushing a stray curl behind her ear. "I think about having a big house with kids running around. I'd teach my son to play basketball – hell; I'd teach my daughter to play basketball. I see my kids having a passion for art and music." He looked at her and she was blushing. "I'd love to have a big golden retriever running around. At night, I'd read the kids Shakespeare or Steinbeck or Dickens. And every day I'd come home to you there. In all of these scenarios, I only see you."

Peyton was struggling to breathe, and her heart was fluttering at an alarming rate. "Me? You see me there?"

Lucas leaned down to share an intimate, slow kiss with her. "Of course I do. What do you see?"

Peyton took a deep breath and hugged him a little tighter. "I see a great big house here in Tree Hill, probably. I want 2-3 kids. I want a little boy that takes after you – plays basketball, loves reading, and has your cute nose." She kissed it. "A little girl with blonde curls who blasts music in her room. All of our kids would have crystal blue eyes. I always imagined having a beagle running around – so we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. And every day, I'd come home to you, and we'd cook dinner together and read bedtime stories to our kids, and when they were asleep, we'd go to our room and make love."

Lucas cocked his eyebrow and smiled. "I'd want our kids to have your amazing green eyes," He whispered. "You really picture all of that?"

"I really do. There's no one else I want to share my life with."

Lucas felt himself choking up and turned his head so she wouldn't see the emotions playing on his face. "I always knew that's what I wanted. I was just afraid that I'd never be able to get a "future" talk out of you."

Peyton gasped in mock shock and thumped his arm. "Hey, I've changed! I'm not all commitment phobic anymore. Obviously, you goof."

Lucas laughed and kissed the top of her head. "I know, I was just kidding, babe. It makes me so incredibly happy to hear that you think about the same things."

"You're such a girl, Scott. Dreaming about me and the future and kids."

"Girl? I'll show you girl," Lucas growled, stretching her out on the couch and leaning down over her.

"Nice try, Romeo. There's a baby in the next room."

"And there's a mother walking into this room," Karen spoke up, obviously not thrilled with the scene in front of her.

The two teenagers immediately jumped apart, flushed and looking embarrassed.

"Great babysitting, Lucas," his mother teased.

"Hey! I'm a great babysitter and big brother. Lils is sleeping."

Karen rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, thank you both for looking after her. You're free now to do as you please. And if you insist on doing what I just saw… please do it somewhere else." She smirked and walked back toward her baby girl's room.

"You're officially the most embarrassing mom ever!" Lucas yelled back at her.

"Don't you forget it!"

Peyton smiled at the mother-son interaction. "You wanna head back to my place? I think Brooke's out with Chase tonight."

Lucas grinned and grabbed her hand. "What are we waiting for?"

Peyton threw her head back laughing as he was dragging her out the door. Once they got outside, she stopped him and made him face her. "Hey Luke? I'm really excited for our future to begin."

All of the love Lucas held for this woman in front of him bubbled up and he smashed his lips over hers. After a long, hard kiss, they broke apart, gasping for air. "Me neither, Peyt. Me neither."

* * *

I hope this wasn't too cheesy or out of character. I mean, in high school, I know I actually had that conversation once. But, I really hope you all enjoyed it. The next (and last) one should be up within the week. Let me know what you think! 


	9. After 421 No Goodbyes

So, here it is guys – the last installment. I'm sad – this was my first real fic, and I don't want it to end just yet, but alas, it has. I hope this is a fulfilling last chapter!

This one takes place right after 4.21 – Leyton's last night together in Tree Hill.

* * *

Lucas and Nathan's one-on-one game had just ended; almost in homage to the first game they played against one another, Lucas had won against his little brother once again.

Lucas was ragging on Nathan and joking around, while everyone else was exchanging goodbyes.

"Yeah, yeah old man – I let you win, taking it easy on your heart, you know?"

Lucas laughed and bumped fists with his younger brother, both of them walking over to their group of friends. Luke walked up to his best friend and girlfriend who were hugging each other and crying softly.

"Haley stop crying, you're making me cry."

"I can't help it; I'm going to really miss you, Peyton."

Peyton's eyes welled up even more. "I'm gonna miss you too!"

Lucas rolled his eyes and put his arm around both of them. "Okay, I know we're all going to miss each other, but we're all seeing Peyton and Brooke off tomorrow at the airport. Save the tears for then, hm?"

Peyton and Haley both glared at him and walked over to join Brooke, Rachel, and Bevin.

After most of the goodbyes were said, and many tears were shed, as well, the only people left on the Rivercourt were Peyton, Lucas, Nathan, Haley, Brooke and Chase.

Nathan sighed and wrapped his arm around his wife. "It's so surreal to think that this is our last time together – well, for a really long time. College… it's going to change so much."

The three girls were all sniffling, and hugging tight to their boyfriends or husband.

"But we'll all still be friends and be in each other's lives, I know it," Lucas reassured everyone. "Brooke what happened to your 'no tears' speech?"

"Shut up, Luke. I changed my mind."

"We should get going, Deb's been with Jamie all night, we need to relieve our son," Haley joked.

Nathan and Haley hugged everyone once more and walked toward their car.

"Hales! Make sure you bring that beautiful baby to the airport tomorrow, we want to say goodbye to him, too." Peyton called out. Haley nodded her head in response, and wiped a tear from under her eye.

"Okay, P. Sawyer… what's the deal for tonight?"

Peyton furrowed her brows and turned her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Brooke smiled at the two boys and pulled Peyton off to the side. "Okay, I know what we both want to do tonight with our boyfriends. The goodbyes, the sex… the goodbye sex," Brooke smirked. "So, what do we do with the apartment?"

Peyton smirked. _Leave it to Brooke to be worried about sex_, she thought. Then she frowned. Brooke was right; Peyton did have plans for her and Lucas tonight.

"Well, Chase and I don't really have a place to go. His parents are actually normal – they live in the same house and are total freaks about having girls over," Brooke pointed out.

"Okay, but at Lucas's there's a crying baby and his mother who wakes up every 4 hours or so to feed her."

They stared each other down. "Rock, paper, scissors?" They both exclaimed at the same time.

They shook their fists three times. Peyton chose scissors and Brooke chose rock. "Yessss!" Brooke cried out enthusiastically. "Sorry, P!"

Brooke skipped over to Chase. "We're good to go. Now, let's… _go_."

Chase got the hint and was quickly leading Brooke toward his car. "Sorry guys. We'll see you both tomorrow," He called out over his shoulder.

Peyton huffed and walked over to Lucas.

"What was that about, Peyt?" Lucas asked, sliding his hands around her waist.

"Brooke and Chase get to have sex tonight, and we get to spend the night listening to your baby sister cry every few hours, and not have sex on my last night in Tree Hill for nearly 4 months."

"Hey now, grouch. Who says we're not going to have sex?" Lucas smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh yes, with Lily and Karen right outside of your room? Very romantic, stud," Peyton remarked sarcastically.

"Listen, my mom knows it's your last night. She figured we might be staying at the house – she's not going to bother us. She promised. Not that she was all that thrilled about what we'd be doing, but nonetheless, it'll be like we're alone. And Lily's a pretty good baby, she doesn't wake up all that much – once Mom gets her up, she's pretty settled." Lucas leaned over to stroke her cheek. "We don't even have to have sex. Even if I can just hold you all night long, and be with you until the very last second – it's all that matters. Just you being in my arms."

Peyton's eyes softened and she seemed to swoon in his arms. "Baby, I love you for that. But… we won't be seeing each other until I come back in the fall. We're so having sex. We'll just have to… be quiet." She spit out the last part with disdain.

Lucas laughed and pulled her to his side, starting their journey back to his house.

----------

The young couple entered his bedroom door quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up, or really even make their presence known. The mood was somber and both teenagers looked pretty sad.

Lucas glanced over at Peyton and noticed the sad expression on her face. This wasn't how this night was supposed to go. "Come on, Peyt, we're not going to do this. Not tonight. Tonight is supposed to be all about us, you can be sad at the airport. I know it sucks that we won't be spending our last summer before college together, but let's make the most of your time in Tree Hill."

Peyton laid down on Lucas's bed and pulled him to lie on top of her. "You're right. Tonight is about me and you. Plus, like you said – the time will fly by, and I'll be back in no time."

"Exactly."

Lucas leaned down to brush his lips against her. He kept teasing her by placing short, chaste kisses to her lips, not giving in to what she really wanted. Soon enough Peyton became frustrated and grabbed the back of his head, smashing his lips down to hers, and opening his lips with her tongue to explore his warm mouth. Lucas let out a low growl, moving his hands to lift her legs around his waist. He kept one of his hands on her thigh, and the other moved to get tangled in her wild curls. Two things he would definitely miss, besides Peyton herself, would be her never-ending legs and her amazingly beautiful curls.

Lucas sat up on his knees and quickly removed his shirt, then moving on to unbutton his pants. While Lucas was taking care of his clothes, Peyton hurriedly removed her own garments. There was an unspoken understanding that they just wanted to be together, nothing else mattered. There would be no foreplay or tender touches this time around. Once all pieces of clothing had been removed, Peyton pulled Lucas down on top of her again, and in no time, they were frantically crashing into one another, moving in an impossibly fast, erotic rhythm. As Peyton felt the end nearing, she pulled on the back of Lucas's neck, bringing him into a searing, breathy kiss, and then they were falling over into that pool of ecstasy.

Lucas fell to her side, gasping for breath, his heart thumping wildly beneath his chest. He laid his head over her breasts, and pulled her impossibly close.

"I can't believe that every time we're together tops the previous time."

Lucas grinned somewhat proudly. "We're just amazing together; we were made to be with one another. In all ways for always."

"Scott, you are cheesy all the time, but after making love that cheese factor skyrockets."

"And that is one of the reasons you love me."

Peyton kissed his forehead. "I think you're right."

Lucas sat up against the headboard, making sure to keep his lower half covered. He should be exhausted after the intensity of what they'd just done, but he felt exhilarated and happy. All thoughts of her leaving were pushed to the back of his mind.

Peyton reached down and fished under the bed for Lucas's discarded shirt. Once she found it, she slipped it on, and buttoned it up – leaving just enough for the imagination.

When Lucas looked over at Peyton his mouth went dry and he felt himself becoming aroused once more. "That is the hottest sight I have ever seen. I changed my mind – stay here all summer, in my bed, wearing my clothes."

Peyton chuckled and shook her head, leaning over to rest against him. "Silly boy."

"In fact, I think I need my camera."

"Okay, you know I love sex, but I'm not up for going all Paris Hilton."

"Your mind is worse that my own. Not naked or anything – just a picture of you just like this. So I have something to look at while you're gone."

Peyton rolled her eyes reluctantly as Lucas came back to the bed with his camera. She bit her lip and as soon as she did, Lucas snapped the picture. It was natural and beautiful, just like her.

Lucas looked at her once more and felt a wave of sadness wash over him. "Okay, I know I said we weren't going to do this. But just looking at you right now…" Lucas let out a deep breath. "God, I'm going to miss you. I want you to go, and I want you to have a good time chasing after something that you love. Just… don't forget about me okay?"

Peyton tilted her head and looked at him in astonishment. "Are you… serious? Do you think that I could ever forget about you? Luke you are the love of my life. Nothing's going to change that. Certainly not 3 or 4 months in LA."

Lucas nodded, knowing he was being ridiculous. He just couldn't help it – it was going to be a torturous summer without his Blondie by his side. "You promise you're coming back after the internship?"

Once again, Peyton was taken aback. "Lucas, why would you ask me that? Of course I'm coming back! Why in the world would I stay there?"

"It's going to be a whole other world out there, Peyt. There are great schools, the music industry you love, different people."

"If you're worried about me finding someone else, you're nuts. I'm head over heels in love with you. Yes, there are great things out there. But you're not – you're here. And that's where I want to be. I just need to do this for the summer. That's all – I promise you'll be seeing me in a few months." Peyton scratched the side of her face. "Wow, Scott, I predicted that it would be me freaking out and going all sentimental and anxious."

Lucas grinned and pulled her to sit on his lap. "I'm sorry, it's just a wave of insecurity overcame me. I'm going to miss you so damn much, and I know you'll love it out there."

"I will. But I can say with confidence that there is no better place for me to be than in your arms. So, I will for sure be coming back. Los Angeles has got nothing on Lucas Scott."

Lucas gently leaned up to kiss her softly. "I know. I just needed to hear you say it. And I want you to know, that I am so in love with you." Peyton smiled; Lord was that good to hear.

He glanced over at the clock and saw it was nearly 2 a.m. "Geez, it's late Peyt. Maybe we should get some sleep."

Peyton shook her head vehemently. "No way. We are taking all of the time we have and using it to our advantage. Plus, Brooke scheduled our flight for the late afternoon. Take off is at 3:55. So, we've got hours until we have to sleep."

"Good, because I'm not tired, and I'm taking in all of you that I can."

"Interesting you put it that way," She murmured while leaning down to press a kiss against his chest, right over his heart. At the same time, she shifted in his lap and pressed down against him.

"Are you insinuating what I'm hoping you are?"

Peyton bit his earlobe. "Hell yes, I am. You up for it?"

In an instant, Lucas had pulled his shirt off of her. "I'm always up for you."

This time, their lovemaking was gentle and slow. They were drinking each other in, and making sure to memorize every inch of skin. When Lucas entered her, their movements were almost unbearably slow and sensuous.

----------

The next morning, Peyton woke up around 10:30, before Lucas. He was holding her tightly in his arms, and turning around to face him was almost a struggle with his tight grip. Once she had successfully turned in his arms, she brought up her hand to stroke the side of his face.

She could not believe that the day of her departure was finally here. Leaving Lucas was the last thing she ever wanted to do. But she had spent all of last night convincing Luke and herself that everything would be okay and this was the right thing to do. Truthfully, only time would tell.

Lucas's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned, realizing that it was morning, and he needed to wake up. However, his mood greatly improved once he saw that his beautiful blonde girl was staring at him; green eyes bright and wide. He leaned over to kiss her in greeting. "Morning, Blondie."

"Morning, babe. Sleep well?"

Lucas chuckled throatily and pulled her entire body onto his. "Sleep? Baby, do I need to define sleep for you? I'm not sure much of that happened in this room last night."

Peyton blushed and shook her head. "I guess you're right. But… it was worth it right?"

"Every second," he whispered into her ear. "God, I can't believe this is our last morning waking up together for a really long time." They both frowned at the thought. "What time do we need to get going?"

Peyton glanced over at the clock and smiled. "We need to be at the airport by 2, 2:15 at the latest."

Lucas grinned slyly as well. "From my calculations, we have a little over 3 hours to spend together before leaving."

"One more round, Scott?"

Lucas sat up to kiss her neck, running a hand down her spine. "Just one?"

----------

The group of 6 friends had met had the local airport, and the moment everyone had been dreading had fallen upon them: saying goodbye to two of their best friends. It was like a sign that adulthood was finally here, and high school was officially a memory of the past.

After Peyton and Lucas had finished up their morning rounds of lovemaking, they had had lunch with Karen and Lily at the café. Peyton and Karen had a teary goodbye, and Lucas found it nearly impossible to get his baby sister out of his girlfriend's arms. The whole car ride to the airport, their hands had been interlocked, but not a word was spoken. They were unsure what to say at this point.

Everyone had been at the airport for nearly a half an hour, and the goodbyes were incredibly emotional. Brooke currently was holding baby James, and Peyton was standing right next to her; both of them doting on the precious child.

Nathan regrettably looked down at his watch and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to end this love fest, but it's 2:50. You two should probably start the long process of going through security.

Brooke nodded and brought James back to his parents. She hugged them both, and couldn't contain her tears. "Take care of my Godchild, okay?"

Haley couldn't speak, and Nathan was choking up as well. They both nodded and brought Brooke in for one last hug.

Peyton was next on the list. She hugged Haley and James tightly, not wanting to let go. She then moved onto Nathan and felt herself falling apart. She would miss this young, small family so much. "I love you two so much. And you too Jamie. I love you all. Don't forget that."

Haley hugged Peyton again, and Nathan kissed her forehead. "Be careful out there. Watch out for each other in L.A."

Peyton let out a small smile – Nathan was always the protective one. "We will, I promise."

Peyton's eyes immediately found Lucas's after all other goodbyes had been said.

Somewhere deep down, Lucas had a feeling that California would be privy to having Peyton Sawyer longer than 3 months. He just knew it – he didn't know how, he chalked it up to intuition. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, and tried to believe in what Peyton had said last night.

He pulled her into his arms tightly, not wanting to let go. Lucas closed his eyes and breathed her in. That smell would be with him long after she was gone – it was intoxicating. Lavender and chamomile. Lucas kept his eyes closed until he could feel Peyton shaking in his arms.

"We're going to be okay right? Tell me we're going to make it," Peyton almost sobbed out.

Lucas felt his own tears welling up. "Peyton baby look at me. We are going to be fine, not even putting a whole country in between us will split us up. No matter what happens – it's you and me in the end. And you know why?" Lucas cupped her face in his hands, making sure she was listening to his every word. "Because I'm going to love you forever Peyton Sawyer."

Peyton couldn't stand it anymore; she crashed their lips together. His hands were still cupping her face, and hers were buried in his hair. The kiss was slow and sensuous, full of longing, and she hadn't even left. They kissed as long as possible before withdrawing to take in deep breaths, gulping for air.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, guys, I really am – but P, we need to get going," Brooke sounded teary as well, having just said her own long goodbye to Chase.

Peyton nodded and picked up her carry-on luggage.

"Call me as soon as you get settled."

"Not a minute later," Peyton promised. She took a deep breath. This was it. "No goodbyes, because with you and I, there will never be a 'goodbye.'"

They kissed one last time, and then Peyton and Brooke were off.

The four remaining friends looked like they'd just weathered a storm.

Not even a minute later Lucas was surprised when he saw Peyton running toward him. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. They joined in one last heated kiss; lips moving roughly, sure to be bruised later, tongues dueling, and breath coming out hotly. Once it was over, Peyton rested her forehead against his. "That's something to remember me by while I'm gone."

Lucas smirked and pressed one last chaste kiss to her lips. "I'll never forget it, that or any other kiss. I promise."

Peyton unwrapped her legs from around him and dropped to the floor. "Lucas Scott, I love you. I just didn't want to get on that plane without saying it again."

Lucas watched as she walked away, Brooke at her side, a consoling arm thrown over her best friend. Peyton turned one last time to gaze into his eyes, and then she was lost in the crowd.

Lucas closed his eyes and smiled sadly. "Goodbye Peyton."

* * *

I hope this wasn't a let down for my last chapter! I had such a hard time writing it because I knew that she wouldn't be coming back to Tree Hill and it nearly broke my heart the whole time thinking about it. I hope it wasn't too depressing. But, I'm staying confident, Lucas and Peyton will end up together; let's all just believe in that.

So, thank you to all of my loyal readers – you've been the ones keeping me going! And don't think I don't recognize that, I do. So thank you all, once again, and let me know what you thought of the end.

I have _All We Ever Needed_ going, and that should be updated within the weekend. I also have a one-shot season 5 fic idea, and another long fic idea – but I'm taking it one step at a time, lol.


End file.
